running sore
running sore noun: used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see running, sore.; an ulcer that oozes pus.
Noun
running sore (plural running sores)
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see running, sore.; an ulcer that oozes pus.
- In Bohemia, it is claimed, there is no case of old running sore or ulcer which it will not completely and permanently heal.1852, Pamphlets - Homoeopathic - Volume 24, Issues 1-32, page 90
- There was a running sore on the back of the foot all the time . When the pus ran from the sore it stuck to the bandage.1911, Supreme Court, page 43
- A festering problem; a situation that remains problematic or gets worse over time.
- Economically and politically confused and disordered, in the period between the two world wars the Austrian Republic was a running sore in Europe.1956, Fritz Klenner, The Austrian Trade Union Movement, page 14
- The case of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and some of his colleagues is a running sore in people's minds.1984, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarvepalli Gopal, Madhavan K. Palat, Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, page 256
Forms of running sore
| plural | running sores |
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Questions about running sore
- What does running sore mean?
- Running sore means used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see running, sore.; an ulcer that oozes pus.
- What part of speech is running sore?
- Running sore is a noun.
- What is the plural of running sore?
- The plural of running sore is running sores.
Words near running sore in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: running sore (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “running sore.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/running_sore. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.