1
: a final race, contest, or election to decide an earlier one that has not resulted in a decision in favor of any one competitor
2
: the portion of precipitation on land that ultimately reaches streams often with dissolved or suspended material
ran off; run off; running off; runs off
1
a
: to recite, compose, or produce rapidly
b
: to cause to be run or played to a finish
c
: to decide (a race) by a runoff
d
2
: to drain off : draw off
3
a
: to drive off (someone, such as a trespasser)
b
: to steal (animals, such as cattle) by driving away
see also run off with
Synonyms
Examples of runoff in a Sentence
Verb
the dog often ran off cats and other animals that had intruded upon his owner's property
their rebellious daughter's run off because she was disciplined again
Recent Examples on the Web
Deepa Shivaram, NPR, 9 Sep. 2024
Incumbent Ginny Dickey, who got 47%, and challenger Gerry Friedel, who earned nearly 40%, will face off in a runoff in November.
—Jeremy Duda, Axios, 5 Aug. 2024
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2024
According to the arrest report, investigators believe Dahl was headed east in a 2024 Nissan at around 9 p.m. when the vehicle ran off the road in the 7700 block of Outer Loop and hit a pedestrian.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 3 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for runoff 
Noun
Harris went on to beat Fazio in the runoff election, and later defeated Hallinan in the primary.
—Deepa Shivaram, NPR, 9 Sep. 2024
Incumbent Ginny Dickey, who got 47%, and challenger Gerry Friedel, who earned nearly 40%, will face off in a runoff in November.
—Jeremy Duda, Axios, 5 Aug. 2024
Verb
Arizona tacked on another run off Harrison in the second.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2024
According to the arrest report, investigators believe Dahl was headed east in a 2024 Nissan at around 9 p.m. when the vehicle ran off the road in the 7700 block of Outer Loop and hit a pedestrian.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 3 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for runoff
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'runoff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near runoff
Cite this Entry
“Runoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/runoff. Accessed 17 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
runoff
1 of 2 noun
run·off
ˈrən-ˌȯf 
1
: a final contest or election to decide an earlier one that has not given the victory to one competitor
2
: water from rain or snow that flows over the surface of the ground and finally into streams
run off
2 of 2 verbˈrən-ˈȯf,
ˌrən-
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