on the run
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Moving from place to place and hiding from the authorities; said specially of rebels.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “on the run” mean?
Moving from place to place and hiding from the authorities; said specially of rebels.
Is “on the run” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.