Run crossword clue

The most likely answers for the crossword clue “Run” are WORK, PLAY or MOVE, with 4 letters. Below are 62 answers from 3 to 10 letters, best match first in each length, then what each top answer means and how to tell them apart.

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The best answers, explained

LAM 3 letters · verb

flee; take to one's heels; cut and run

WORK 4 letters · verb

perform as expected when applied “This old radio doesn't work anymore”

RANGE 5 letters · verb

change or be different within limits “Estimates for the losses in the earthquake range as high as $2 billion”

COURSE 6 letters · verb

move along, of liquids

OPERATE 7 letters · verb

direct or control; projects, businesses, etc.

CAMPAIGN 8 letters · noun

a race between candidates for elective office “I managed his campaign for governor”

DISCHARGE 9 letters · noun

the pouring forth of a fluid

OUTPOURING 10 letters · noun

the pouring forth of a fluid

Telling them apart

With 4 squares, WORK, PLAY, MOVE, LEAD, TEST and RACE all fit. The first letter tells them all apart: W → WORK · P → PLAY · M → MOVE · L → LEAD · T → TEST · R → RACE. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 5 squares, RANGE, CARRY, TRIAL, GUIDE, BLEED and TALLY all fit. The fourth letter tells them all apart: G → RANGE · R → CARRY · A → TRIAL · D → GUIDE · E → BLEED · L → TALLY. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 3 squares, LAM, PLY, FLY, RIM and JOG all fit. The first letter tells them all apart: L → LAM · P → PLY · F → FLY · R → RIM · J → JOG. Fill in that crossing answer first.

Other forms of this clue

Clues often use another form of the word, and the answer then takes the same form: “ruing” wants an answer that ends the same way.

What “run” means

• verb: move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time (“Don't run — you'll be out of breath”)
• verb: flee; take to one's heels; cut and run (“If you see this man, run!”)
• verb: stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point (“Service runs all the way to Cranbury”)
• verb: direct or control; projects, businesses, etc. (“She is running a relief operation in the Sudan”)

A clue usually points at one of these senses, so the right answer is the one that matches the sense the puzzle means: check it against the crossing words.

About these answers

We match the clue against our own thesaurus and dictionary (Open English WordNet): words that mean the same as RUN, and words whose definition is RUN. We don't copy answers from newspaper puzzles, so a clue that leans on trivia or wordplay may need the crossing letters instead.