v. (stress on "down") 1. To crash against and knock down or sink. Jack rode his bicycle too fast and almost ran down his little brother. It was so foggy that the steamship almost ran down a small boat leaving port.
Compare: RUN INTO(3a). 2a. To chase until exhausted or caught. The dogs ran down the wounded deer. 2b. To find by hard and thorough search; also: trace to its cause or beginning. The policeman ran down proof that the burglar had robbed the store.
Compare: HUNT DOWN. 2c. To catch (a base runner) between bases and tag out in baseball. The pitcher saw that the base runner was not on base, so he surprised him by throwing the ball to the first baseman, who ran him down before he reached second base. 3. informal To say bad things about; criticize. Suzy ran down the club because the girls wouldn't let her join.
Compare: FIND FAULT. 4. To stop working; not run or go. The battery in Father's car ran down this morning. The kitchen clock ran down because we forgot to wind it. 5. To get into poor condition; look bad. A neighborhood runs down when the people don't take care of their houses.