1 A2 neutral
to go from place to place in a busy way
"I've been running around all day buying things for the party."
inseparable
run around
A2 neutral mixed transitive/intransitive
to move from place to place, often busily; also to make someone do many unnecessary tasks
In plain English
to go here and there a lot
What does "run around" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 neutral
to play or move about energetically, especially for children
"The children were running around in the park after school."
inseparable
3 B2 idiomatic informal
to force someone to do many tasks or visit many places unnecessarily
"Customer service ran me around for two weeks before fixing the problem."
separable
Usage tip
Very common in everyday English. Can describe children playing, adults doing errands, or being treated badly by being sent from place to place.
Words that pair with "run around"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
town office kids errands all day circles
How to conjugate "run around"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
run around
I/you/we/they
3rd person
runs around
he/she/it
Past simple
ran around
yesterday
Past participle
run around
have + pp
-ing form
running around
continuous
Hear "run around" in the wild
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