# run rings around

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/run-rings-around
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Synonym of run circles around.

## Examples

- She runs rings around her brother at chess.
- Our new puppy runs rings around the older dog in the park.
- The new intern is so talented that she runs rings around the rest of the team.
- The small tech startup runs rings around the larger corporations because they can make decisions and launch new products much faster.
- Although the veteran player was highly respected, the young prodigy ran rings around him during the championship match, leaving the audience in complete disbelief.

## Origin

The expression appears in the late 19th century as a variation of the earlier phrase to run circles around. It draws its imagery from the field of competitive athletics, where a runner of vastly superior speed might complete an entire circuit of the track and return to their opponent's side before the latter has made significant progress. The construction suggests not merely a victory, but a performance so effortless that the superior party has time to travel in redundant loops while the inferior party struggles toward the finish.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.