run down

dénigrer, critiquer

Dire du mal de quelqu’un ou de quelque chose, souvent injustement.

En anglais simple : 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?

Comment l'utiliser : run someone/something down (He keeps running his former employer down.)

Synonymes : criticize, put down, disparage

Contraires : praise

Expressions courantes : run down someone, run someone down

se décharger, s’épuiser

Pour une batterie ou une machine, perdre progressivement son énergie jusqu’à ne plus fonctionner.

En anglais simple : 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.

Synonymes : lose power, go flat

Expressions courantes : batteries run down, clocks run down

renverser, écraser

Heurter une personne avec un véhicule et la blesser ou la tuer.

En anglais simple : 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.

Comment l'utiliser : run someone down (A speeding driver ran a cyclist down.)

Synonymes : run over, hit

Expressions courantes : run down someone, run someone down

réduire, diminuer

Réduire progressivement l’activité ou les stocks d’une entreprise, souvent avant sa fermeture.

En anglais simple : 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.

Comment l'utiliser : run something down (They are running their stocks down before closing the warehouse.)

Synonymes : scale down, reduce

Contraires : expand

Expressions courantes : run down stocks, run down operations

retrouver, dénicher

Trouver quelqu’un ou quelque chose après une recherche longue ou difficile.

En anglais simple : 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?

Comment l'utiliser : run someone/something down (I eventually ran down the missing document.)

Synonymes : track down, locate, find

Expressions courantes : run down someone, run down information

parcourir, survoler

Lire rapidement une liste ou un court texte.

En anglais simple : 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.

Comment l'utiliser : run down something (Let me run down the list before we decide.)

Synonymes : scan, skim, look through

Expressions courantes : run down a list, run down the names