Run through meaning
Run through means to explain, read or check something quickly from start to end. It can also mean to practise a play, song or talk from start to end.
run through something
run through · ran · run · running
Let me run through the plan for tomorrow.
Run through meanings and examples
4 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Explain, read or check something quickly from start to end
run through something
- Let me run through the plan for tomorrow.
- She ran through the list of names twice.
- Can you run through the safety rules again?
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2
Practise a play, song or talk from start to end
run through something
- The band ran through the whole show before the doors opened.
- Let’s run through your speech one last time.
- We didn’t have time to run through the dance.
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3
Be in every part of something, like a feeling or an idea
run through somebody or something
- A deep sadness runs through all her songs.
- A love of music runs through our whole family.
- One idea runs through the whole book.
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4
Spend or use a lot of something very quickly
run through something
- We ran through our holiday money in a week.
- My son runs through a pair of shoes every month.
- How did you run through so much paper?
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use run through in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is run through separable?
Run through is not separable. The thing comes after through: run through the list, run through it.
To say who you explain it to, put the person in the middle: Let me run you through the steps. The noun is a run-through, a practice from start to end.
Verb tenses for run through
| Present | I run through · she runs through |
|---|---|
| Past | ran through |
| Present perfect | have run through |
| -ing form | running through |
Common mistakes with run through
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: Let’s run it through before the show.
Right: Let’s run through it before the show.
The thing goes after through, not in the middle.
Wrong: Can you run through me the steps?
Right: Can you run me through the steps?
The person goes between run and through; the thing goes at the end.
Wrong: We had a run through on Friday.
Right: We had a run-through on Friday.
The noun has a hyphen.
Synonyms and opposites of run through
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- go overcheck or explain carefully; very close to run through
- rehearsepractise a performance; more formal
- go throughlook at every part; also experience something hard
Opposite
- skipleave out a part, not go through it all
- improvisedo it without practice or a plan
Run through quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1Before we start, I’ll quickly ___ the rules of the game.
Run through means explain something quickly from start to end.
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2Choose the right sentence.
The person goes in the middle, the thing at the end.
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3“We spent the money really fast. We ran through it in two days.” What does run through mean here?
Run through money means use it up fast.
More phrasal verbs with run
All phrasal verbs with run, by level, with an exercise
8 phrasal verbs start with run. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
- run out ofB1use all of something so that you have none left
- run outB1use all of something so there is none left
- run intoB2meet someone you know when you did not expect to
- run awayB2leave a person or place suddenly, often secretly, to escape
- run overC1hit someone or something with a vehicle and drive over them
- run downB2lose power slowly, or make something lose power
- run offB2leave a place or person suddenly, often without saying why
Run through FAQ
Questions people ask about run through.
What is a run-through?
A run-through is a practice from start to end, like a test before a show or a meeting. We had a quick run-through before the presentation.
Run through vs go through: what is the difference?
Run through is quicker and lighter. Go through can be slow and careful, and it can also mean experience something hard.
What does run through someone’s mind mean?
It means you think about it, often quickly. A lot of things ran through my mind before the interview.
Use run through in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.