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run over

B1 neutral separable both
In simple words

To hit someone with a car, to quickly check something again, or to go on longer than planned

Literal meaning: To run and pass over something — the vehicle sense is the most literal

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To drive a vehicle over a person, animal, or object, hitting them

"The driver didn't see the cat and ran it over before he could stop."

Grammar: separable
2 B1 idiomatic neutral

To review or look through something quickly

"Let me run over the key points before we finish the session."

Grammar: separable
3 B1 neutral

To exceed a time or quantity limit

"The speech ran over by fifteen minutes, and the audience grew restless."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

All three senses are common. 'Run over the main points' is common in meetings. 'Run over time' is heard in presentations and broadcasts. The vehicle sense is distressingly common in news reports.

Commonly used with

time budget notes points pedestrian dog

Forms

Base
run over
I/you/we/they
3rd person
runs over
he/she/it
Past simple
ran over
yesterday
Past participle
run over
have + pp
-ing form
running over
continuous

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