runner

«runner» in Mova's school dictionary: a person who runs, often in a race — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (runner, runners)

meaning for a pupil

1) A runner is a person who runs, often in a race. tree →

2) A runner is a thin blade or strip that something slides on, like a sledge or drawer runner. tree →

3) A runner (UK runner bean) is a plant that spreads by long stems along the ground, like a strawberry runner. tree →

4) Runners (Australia, NZ, some UK) are running shoes, trainers. tree →

5) A runner can also be a messenger who carries news or messages quickly. tree →

sense in the lessons

In maths: people counted in a race; their distances, times and places; «each runner» is a rate; relay runners share the distance. In sport: marathon runners, cross-country runners. In science: strawberry plants make new plants on runners. In stories: a messenger runner carrying news.

examples

• There are 40 runners in the race. tree →
• Each runner runs 5 km. tree →
• The first runner finished in 18 minutes. tree →
• 6 runners dropped out. tree →
• The fastest runner on the team is Maya. tree →
• Four runners take turns in a relay race. tree →
• The strawberry plant sent out runners. tree →
• Put on your runners for PE. tree →
• The runners lined up at the start. tree →
• So the King's runners came for the fool. tree →

note

People counted; «each runner» is a rate. Places (first, second) are order, not amounts. Trap: runners who drop out are subtracted from those who finish. «Front-runner» means the one most likely to win.

In the corpora

• In the Road Runner cartoons the bird says «meep meep» and leaves Wile E.
• In Looney Tunes the Road Runner zooms off in a cloud of dust, says «meep meep», and Wile E.
• Rubbing makes skin grow thicker into calluses, which protect it; barefoot runners grow thick soles that protect like shoes.
• Cutting a corner in a race is cheating too: a runner seen doing it is taken off the results.
• He sat and watched, bored and guilty, while his team ran one runner short.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «runner» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.