runner

runner — 名詞

1. a person who runs, either for exercise and enjoyment or as an entrant in a foot

1.名詞B1
釋義

跑者;選手

從事跑步運動或參加賽跑的人

a person who runs, either for exercise and enjoyment or as an entrant in a foot race.

例句

Asher trains every morning at six because he wants to be a faster long-distance runner.

Asher 每天早上六點訓練,因為他想成為跑得更快的長跑選手。

modifier pattern: [adjective] + runner

There were over five thousand runners at the start line of the Taipei Marathon.

台北馬拉松起跑線上聚集了超過五千名跑者。

plural runners for a race field

同義詞
  • jogger

    someone who runs slowly for exercise, not for competition

  • athlete

    broader — any sportsperson, not only someone who runs

  • sprinter

    runner who specialises in short, fast races

文法句型

[noun] runner

runner in [race/event]

用法筆記

Often modified by an adjective showing the type or skill (long-distance runner, keen runner, fast runner). Subject of a race-related verb such as 'finish', 'cross', 'complete'.

常見錯誤

He is a runner man.
He is a runner.
💡'runner' already means a person, so do not add 'man' or 'person' after it.

2. a horse that is taking part in a particular race.

2.名詞B2
釋義

參賽馬

參加某場比賽的賽馬

a horse that is taking part in a particular race.

例句

There are only six runners in the two o'clock race at Ascot today.

今天 Ascot 兩點鐘那場比賽只有六匹參賽馬。

[number] + runners + in + [race]

Quan studied the form guide before betting on a runner with long odds.

Quan 研究過賽馬資訊,才下注一匹賠率很高的馬。

同義詞
  • competitor

    any entrant in a race, human or animal

  • entry

    the formal name on the race card

反義詞
  • non-runner

    a horse withdrawn before the race starts

文法句型

runner in [race]

[number] runners

用法筆記

Belongs to horse-racing reporting and betting talk. Distinguish from sense 1 (a person who runs) — context (race meeting, trainer, odds) signals the horse meaning.

3. a junior employee paid to carry papers, money, or short messages between people

3.名詞B2
釋義

跑腿員

在辦公室或片場跑腿送東西的基層員工

a junior employee paid to carry papers, money, or short messages between people in an office, a courtroom, a film set, or a similar place.

例句

Aarav started in the law firm as a runner, fetching files between the courtrooms and the office.

Aarav 在律師事務所從跑腿員做起,負責在法庭和辦公室之間遞送卷宗。

start as a runner

The film crew hired Élise as a runner to bring coffee and scripts to the actors.

劇組僱用 Élise 當跑腿員,幫演員送咖啡和劇本。

hire someone as a runner

同義詞
  • messenger

    anyone who delivers a message; not always a junior worker

  • gofer

    informal — junior assistant who runs small errands

  • courier

    a paid delivery worker, often outside an office

文法句型

runner for [person/group]

work as a runner

用法筆記

The role is usually entry-level and physical (carrying things, going place to place). Common in law, finance, and film-set contexts. The person being served is named with 'for' (a runner for the bank).

常見錯誤

She is a runner of the office.
She is a runner for the office.
💡use 'for', not 'of', to name who the runner serves.

4. a soft shoe with a flexible sole, used for running and other sports.

4.名詞B1
釋義

運動鞋;球鞋

鞋底柔軟、適合運動的鞋(澳、愛用語)

a soft shoe with a flexible sole, used for running and other sports.

例句

Zola put on her runners and headed to the park for a quick jog.

Zola 穿上運動鞋,到公園去快跑一下。

put on + runners

These runners have a soft sole that protects my knees on long routes.

這雙運動鞋鞋底很軟,跑長距離時可以保護我的膝蓋。

同義詞

文法句型

a pair of runners

wear runners

用法筆記

Mainly Australian and Irish English; American speakers say 'sneakers' or 'running shoes', British speakers usually say 'trainers'. Almost always plural in everyday use.

常見錯誤

I bought a runner for the gym.
I bought a pair of runners for the gym.
💡shoes come in pairs, so use the plural.

5. in rugby, American football, and baseball, a player who is moving with the ball

5.名詞B2
釋義

持球員

橄欖球或美足的持球選手;棒球跑壘員

in rugby, American football, and baseball, a player who is moving with the ball or trying to reach the next base.

例句

Two defenders tackled the runner just before he reached the end zone.

兩名防守球員在持球員衝進達陣區之前把他攔了下來。

tackle the runner

Christopher threw the ball to first base and caught the runner stealing.

Christopher 把球傳到一壘,把那名想盜壘的跑壘員刺殺出局。

catch the runner stealing (baseball)

同義詞
反義詞
  • tackler

    the defensive player trying to stop the runner

文法句型

the runner [verb]

tackle/catch the runner

用法筆記

Sports context distinguishes this from sense 1: rugby/football refers to the ball carrier; baseball refers to a player on base. The verbs 'tackle', 'catch', 'pass to', and 'on base' are reliable signals.

6. a long, narrow strip — usually metal — fixed under a sledge, ice skate, or drawe

6.名詞C1
釋義

橇板;滑軌

雪橇、抽屜或冰刀下方讓物體滑動的條狀部件

a long, narrow strip — usually metal — fixed under a sledge, ice skate, or drawer to let it slide smoothly along a surface.

例句

Hyun waxed the runners of his sledge so it would glide faster down the snowy hill.

Hyun 為他雪橇下方的橇板上了蠟,這樣下雪坡時可以滑得更快。

runners of a sledge

The drawer would not open because one of its runners had bent out of shape.

因為其中一條滑軌變形了,那個抽屜打不開。

runners of a drawer

同義詞
  • blade

    specifically the runner of a skate

  • rail

    guide strip for a drawer or sliding door

  • track

    the channel a runner moves along

文法句型

the runners of [a sledge/drawer]

on runners

用法筆記

Always refers to a part you can see, not a whole object. Often plural (a sledge has two runners). Check the context — kitchen, workshop, or winter sports — to know which kind of runner is meant.

7. a thin piece of fabric, usually long and rectangular, laid down the middle of a

7.名詞C1
釋義

桌旗

鋪在餐桌中央的長條裝飾布

a thin piece of fabric, usually long and rectangular, laid down the middle of a dining table to make it look nicer.

例句

Camille spread a linen runner down the centre of the table before placing the candles.

Camille 在桌子中央鋪上一條亞麻桌旗,然後才把蠟燭擺上去。

collocation: spread / lay a runner down the table

The hotel uses red velvet runners on every table during the December banquets.

這家飯店在十二月的宴會上,每張桌子都會鋪紅色絲絨桌旗。

plural countable noun in a decor context

同義詞
  • table runner

    the explicit compound; clearer than 'runner' alone in many contexts

文法句型

a runner of [material]

table runner

用法筆記

Often appears as the compound 'table runner'. Distinguish from sense 8 (a runner on the floor or stairs) — this one sits on top of furniture.

8. a thin, slender carpet stretched down a hallway floor or fitted up the steps of

8.名詞C1
釋義

長條地毯

鋪在走廊或樓梯上的細長地毯

a thin, slender carpet stretched down a hallway floor or fitted up the steps of a staircase, both to protect what is underneath and to add some colour.

例句

A faded blue runner stretched the full length of the upstairs corridor.

一條褪色的藍色長條地毯,從頭到尾鋪滿了樓上的整條走廊。

collocation: runner stretches / runs along [a corridor]

Vikram nailed a striped wool runner to each step so the children would not slip.

Vikram 把一條條紋羊毛長地毯釘在每一階樓梯上,這樣孩子才不會滑倒。

fix / nail / lay a runner on the stairs

同義詞
  • carpet runner

    the fuller compound; emphasises that it is a strip of carpet

  • stair runner

    specifically the kind fitted to a staircase

文法句型

a runner along [the hallway / the stairs]

用法筆記

Subject is usually placed in a hallway, on stairs, or down a long corridor — never on top of a table (that is sense 7). Often modified by colour or material adjectives ('blue', 'wool', 'striped').

9. a thin stem that a plant pushes out sideways across the soil; where the stem tou

9.名詞C1
釋義

匍匐莖;走莖

沿地面延伸並長出新株的莖

a thin stem that a plant pushes out sideways across the soil; where the stem touches the ground, new roots and a new plant grow.

例句

Strawberry plants send out runners that quickly take root and form fresh fruit beds.

草莓會長出匍匐莖,這些莖很快就會生根,長成新的草莓苗。

collocation: send out / put out runners

Eli pinned each spider plant runner into a small pot of damp compost.

Eli 把每一條吊蘭的走莖固定在一個裝有濕潤培養土的小盆裡。

context: gardening, propagation

同義詞
  • stolon

    the formal botanical term for the same structure

文法句型

send out runners

spread by runners

用法筆記

Usually plural: a single plant produces several runners at once. Frequently paired with verbs of growth or spreading ('send out', 'put out', 'spread by'). Common with strawberries, mint, spider plants.

10. a person whose job is to carry banned items — for example narcotics, firearms, o

10.名詞C1
釋義

走私小弟

替犯罪集團跑腿運送違禁品的人

a person whose job is to carry banned items — for example narcotics, firearms, or untaxed tobacco — between locations on behalf of a larger criminal group.

例句

Police arrested two teenage drug runners at the train station on Friday night.

警方週五晚上在火車站逮捕了兩名青少年毒品走私小弟。

common compound: drug runner / gun runner

Rafael was paid in cash to act as a runner between the supplier and the city dealers.

Rafael 領現金當走私小弟,負責在供貨者和市區的毒販之間來回送貨。

act as a runner / work as a runner for [someone]

同義詞
  • smuggler

    more formal; focuses on crossing borders with hidden goods

  • courier

    neutral term; only criminal when context makes it clear (e.g. 'drug courier')

  • mule

    very informal slang; specifically a person who carries drugs on or inside their body

文法句型

a runner for [a gang/dealer]

drug/gun runner

用法筆記

Almost always preceded by the type of contraband: 'drug runner', 'gun runner', 'cigarette runner'. The runner is usually a low-level worker, not the boss. Distinguish from sense 3 (a legal messenger): this sense is criminal and informal.

常見錯誤

She is a runner who delivers documents for the law firm.' (when meaning a smuggler)
She is a runner who delivers cocaine for the gang.
💡sense 10 only covers illegal goods; for legal errands use sense 3.