runner

Etymology

From Middle English rennere, rynner, urnare, equivalent to run + -er. Cognate with Old Norse rennari (“runner; messenger”). Displaced earlier Middle English runel (“runner”), from Old English rynel (“runner”; also “messenger, courier”).

noun

1. Agent noun of run; one who runs.
   1. A person who moves, on foot, at a fast pace, especially an athlete.
      The first runner to cross the finish line wins the race.
      Near-synonym: racer
   2. Any entrant, person or animal (especially a horse), for a race or any competition; a candidate for an election.
      The mare is the stables' runner for the 5.15 race at Epsom.
      The judge said she would not be a runner in the upcoming elections.
   3. (poker slang) A competitor in a poker tournament.
   4. Somebody who controls or manages (e.g. a system).
      […] at least half of which would be put into the pool for the winner, the rest kept for the runners of the system to cover costs and more than likely make a fair profit. June 12 1998, Daniel Jonathan Kirk, “tipping competitions”, in aus.legal (Usenet)
   5. A person or vessel who runs blockades or engages in smuggling. (Especially used in combination, e.g. gunrunner).
      The modus operandi used by the idol and antique runners is to order consignments of fakes. 1992, Hamendar Bhisham Pal, The Plunder of Art, page 75
   6. (cricket) A player who runs for a batsman who is too injured to run">run; he is dressed exactly as the injured batsman, and carries a bat.
   7. (baseball, softball) A baserunner.
      The runner was out at second.
   8. (Australian rules football) A person (from one or the other team) who runs out onto the field during the game to take verbal instructions from the coach to the players. A runner mustn't interfere with play, and may have to wear an identifying shirt to make clear his or her purpose on the field.
   9. Anyone sent on an errand or with communications, especially for a bank (or, historically, a foot soldier responsible for carrying messages during war).
   10. A restaurant employee responsible for taking food from the kitchens to the tables.
   11. (US, dated) A trusty (prisoner granted special privileges).
       In our prisons you might find a condemned man working as a runner, a trusty, which is about as far from segregation as you can get. 1959, Frederick S. Baldi, My Unwelcome Guests, page 25
   12. (sports slang) An employee of a sports agent who tries to recruit possible player clients for the agent.
       This week hundreds of NFL agents gathered to hear an honorable man talk about a noble pipedream. It was a discussion about a significant step to end one of the cornerstones of corruption in college football: runners. Not the backs getting their 40 times tested at the scouting combine but the slimeball trolls who work on behalf of agents to help recruit — a generous word — football prospects by illegally giving them cash (or cars or money for family members or rent for a nice house) so the player then signs with the agent upon turning pro. Freeman, Mike (2012-02-25), “Runners' world: Union boss Smith's noble idea likely stuck at the start”, in, CBSSports.com, retrieved 2014-03-19
   13. A person hired by a gambling establishment to locate potential customers and bring them in.
   14. One who runs away; a deserter or escapee.
   15. (film) An assistant.
2. (slang, usually in the phrase 'do a runner') A quick escape away from a scene.
   He did a runner after robbing the drugstore.
3. (Australia, Canada, Ireland, Scotland) A type of soft-soled shoe originally intended for runners.
4. Part of a shoe that is stitched to the bottom of the upper so it can be glued to the sole.
5. A part of an apparatus that moves quickly.
   After the cycle completes, the runner travels back quickly to be in place for the next cycle.
6. A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding).
   1. A smooth strip on which a sledge runs.
   2. The blade of an ice skate.
   3. The channel or strip on which a drawer is opened and closed.
   4. Part of a mechanism which allows something to be pulled out for maintenance.
      Maintenance was simplified by making all components easily accessible and easy to remove: for example, the air compressors in the short nose slide out on runners. 1962 June, “Beyond the Channel: U.S.S.R.: A 3,000 h.p. diesel-hydraulic from MaK”, in Modern Railways, page 416
   5. The curved base of a rocking chair.
   6. In saddlery, a loop of metal through which a rein is passed.
   7. In molding, a channel cut in a mold.
   8. The rotating-stone of a grinding-mill.
   9. The movable piece to which the ribs of an umbrella are attached.
   10. A tool in which lenses are fastened for polishing.
7. (slang) An automobile; a working or driveable automobile.
   The car salesman told me that the used Volvo was a nice little runner.
   Is that old Mercedes on the forecourt a runner? / No, it has no gearbox.
8. A strip of fabric used to decorate or protect a table or dressing table.
   The red runner makes the table so festive.
9. A long, narrow carpet for a high traffic area such as a hall or stairs.
   How about we put down a clear runner in the front hall.
10. (slang) A part of a cigarette that is burning unevenly.
11. (botany) A long stolon sent out by a plant (such as strawberry), in order to root new plantlets, or a plant that propagates by using such runners.
12. (climbing) A short sling with a carabiner on either end, used to link the climbing rope to a bolt or other protection such as a nut or friend.
13. A leaping food fish (Elagatis pinnulatis) of Florida and the West Indies; the skipjack, shoemaker, or yellowtail.
14. (nautical, sailing) A rope to increase the power of a tackle.
15. (video games) A speedrunner.
16. An idea or plan that has potential to be adopted or put into operation.
    This idea isn't a runner. Let's not waste any more time on it.
17. A running gag
    Don’t Look Up jabs around omnidirectionally, and some of the most gleefully ridiculous jokes land: There’s an inspired runner about an increasingly scandal-plagued Supreme Court nominee, for example, and another in which politicians and voters alike absurdly declare their allegiance to “the jobs the comet will bring.” 7 December 2021, Jesse Hassenger, “Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence cope with disaster in the despairing satire Don’t Look Up”, in AV Club