# run over

CEFR B1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/run-over
Updated: 2026-10-22

## Definition

to hit someone or something with a vehicle and drive over them.

For teachers: to strike and pass over a person, animal, or object with a vehicle. Transitive and optionally separable, though frequently used in the passive voice.

## Examples

- Please be careful not to run over the toys on the driveway.
- The driver was distracted by his phone and nearly ran over a cyclist at the intersection.
- The investigation concluded that the driver had insufficient time to brake before he ran over the heavy debris that had fallen from the truck ahead.

## Pitfalls

- Not "The poor dog was runned over by a speeding car." but "The poor dog was run over by a speeding car." — The past participle of the irregular verb 'run' is 'run', not 'runned'.

## Usage notes

- This phrase is most often used in the passive voice when the victim of the accident is the subject of the sentence.
- Teaching tip: Distinguish this from 'run into', which means to collide with something without necessarily passing over it, and 'run through', which means to review.

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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.