What does "runs" mean?

1. (stomach illness) a slang word for when you have to go to the toilet very often because you are sick.

How do you use "runs"?

Always used with the definite article as 'the runs'.

runs

US //ˈɹənz// UK //ɹˈʌnz// runs

1 stomach illness (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Slang Informal Medicine

a slang word for when you have to go to the toilet very often because you are sick.

a slang term for diarrhea. Usually used with 'the' and treated as a plural noun.

Example

He couldn't go to the party because he had a bad case of the runs.

Example

Several guests at the wedding complained of the runs the following morning, leading to concerns about the hygiene of the catering service.

Usage

Always used with the definite article as 'the runs'.

Teacher's tip

This is a very common but informal term; students should use 'diarrhea' in medical or formal contexts.
- diarrhea
- constipation

Origin

Usually said to allude to the fact that an affected person is frequently running to get to a toilet immediately. Sometimes said to allude to the runniness (runny consistency) of the stool.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated June 19, 2026