run-down

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See also: rundown and run down

English

Etymology

Deverbal from run down.

Adjective

run-down (comparative more run-down, superlative most run-down)

  1. (of a person) Tired and exhausted.
    Synonyms: out of gas, weary; see also Thesaurus:fatigued
  2. (of a place) Decrepit.
    Synonyms: dilapidated, worse for wear; see also Thesaurus:ramshackle
    • 2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page xiii, Preface:
      In the Seventies the system was run-down and demoralised. Road transport was the future, the Underground was being 'managed for decline', and the system was filthier than the streets above.
    • 2020 August 26, “Network News: Stations investment boosts regeneration, says report”, in Rail, page 17:
      Among its findings, the report says: "In recent years we have seen more stations transformed from run-down Victorian hulks, or spartan bus-sheltered platforms, into places that people can take pride in, feel comfortable in using, and which are fulfilling more of their wider potential.
  3. (of a clockwork mechanism) Having the spring unwound.

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Noun

run-down (plural run-downs)

  1. Alternative form of rundown
    • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:
      Shepard: Give me a run-down of the damage.
      Avina: We have lost all primary power to the level. Environmental controls are not responding. Class three fires are burning in sectors 2, 3, 6 and 7. Civilian casualties are high.

Anagrams