run down

To say bad things about someone or something, often unfairly.

• Stop running down my friends.
• She ran the company down in her interview.
• Why do you always run yourself down?

How to use it: run someone/something down (He keeps running his former employer down.)

Similar words: criticize, put down, disparage

Opposites: praise

Common phrases: run down someone, run someone down

If a battery or machine does this, it slowly loses its power and stops working.

• The battery will run down soon.
• My watch ran down overnight.
• Leaving the headlights on makes the battery run down.

Similar words: lose power, go flat

Common phrases: batteries run down, clocks run down

If a driver does this to someone, their vehicle hits and hurts or kills that person.

• A car ran down a pedestrian.
• She was run down while walking home.
• The driver nearly ran me down at the crossing.

How to use it: run someone down (A speeding driver ran a cyclist down.)

Similar words: run over, hit

Common phrases: run down someone, run someone down

To gradually make a business smaller or reduce its supplies, often before closing it.

• The company is running down its stocks.
• They ran down the factory before selling it.
• We will run down operations over the next year.

How to use it: run something down (They are running their stocks down before closing the warehouse.)

Similar words: scale down, reduce

Opposites: expand

Common phrases: run down stocks, run down operations

To find someone or something after a long or difficult search.

• I finally ran down his address.
• The detective ran down a witness in another town.
• Can you run down a copy of that report?

How to use it: run someone/something down (I eventually ran down the missing document.)

Similar words: track down, locate, find

Common phrases: run down someone, run down information

To quickly read a list or short piece of writing.

• I ran down the list of names.
• Run down the menu and see what looks good.
• She was running down her notes before the meeting.

How to use it: run down something (Let me run down the list before we decide.)

Similar words: scan, skim, look through

Common phrases: run down a list, run down the names