plural noun
People who move quickly on foot, especially in races or for exercise.
The runners raced through the park.
The runners trained every morning for the marathon.
American English
How to pronounce runners
nounB1Common word
RUHnerz
/ˈɹə.nɚz/
2 syllables · Stress the first syllable.
Form of runner
Runners can refer to people, baseball players, or long narrow objects, so the surrounding words show the meaning.
People who move quickly on foot, especially in races or for exercise.
Practice out loudMeanings & examples
plural noun
People whose jobs involve carrying messages, documents, food, or other things from one place to another.
The runners brought the dishes from the kitchen.
The office runners delivered the documents before noon.
Good to know
In a restaurant, runners usually carry finished dishes from the kitchen to the tables.
plural noun
Baseball players who are on base and trying to reach another base.
The runners advanced when the pitcher threw to first base.
Two runners scored in the fifth inning.
plural noun
Long, narrow pieces of cloth placed along the center of tables.
The white runners matched the plates.
We put blue runners on the dining tables.
Useful expressions
The person or team that finishes second in a competition.
She was runner-up in the national spelling bee.
A restaurant worker who carries prepared food from the kitchen to the tables.
The food runner brought our meals to the table.
A long, narrow piece of cloth placed along the center of a table.
We bought a blue table runner for the dining room.