Word.ws English Dictionary

runs on

runs on is the third-person singular simple present indicative of run on.

Meaning of run on

Verb

run on (third-person singular simple present runs on, present participle running on, simple past ran on, past participle run on)

  1. (idiomatic) To continue without interruption
    • We can't afford for the performance to run on for more than the specified time.
  2. Using a certain time zone.
    • I was still running on daylight savings time.
  3. (idiomatic) To continue talking for a long time.
    • She ran on and wouldn't let anyone get a word in edgeways.
  4. To operate with a particular energy source.
    • This car runs on bio-alcohol.
  5. To make numerous drafts or demands for payment, as upon a bank.
    • Accordingly, depositors may run on a bank upon the receipt of adverse economic news that induces them to revise their assessment of a bank's soundness.2009, Heidi Mandanis Schooner, Michael W. Taylor, Global Bank Regulation: Principles and Policies, page 27
  6. (historical) To carry on or continue (e.g. the type for a new sentence) without making a break or commencing a new paragraph.

See all 9 meanings of run on

Questions about runs on

What is runs on the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Runs on is the third-person singular simple present indicative of run on.

Words near runs on in the dictionary

  1. runs off at the mouth
  2. runs off on
  3. runs off one's mouth
  4. runs off the tongue
  5. runs off with
  6. runs on
  7. runs on empty
  8. runs on fumes
  9. runs on the bank
  10. runs on the banks
  11. runs one on

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: runs on (page history and authors); run on (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: “runs on.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/runs_on. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.