run-down

[ ruhn-doun ]

adjective

1. fatigued; weary; exhausted.
2. in a state of poor health:

   He was in a run-down condition from months of overwork.

3. in neglected condition; fallen into disrepair:

   a run-down house.

   Synonyms: shabby, tacky, seedy

4. (of a spring-operated device) not running because it is unwound.

run down

verb

1. to cause or allow (an engine, battery, etc) to lose power gradually and cease to function or (of an engine, battery, etc) to do this
2. to decline or reduce in number or size

   the firm ran down its sales force

3. tr, usually passive to tire, sap the strength of, or exhaust

   he was thoroughly run down and needed a holiday

4. tr to criticize adversely; denigrate; decry
5. tr to hit and knock to the ground with a moving vehicle
6. nautical
   1. tr to collide with and cause to sink
   2. intr, preposition to navigate so as to move parallel to (a coast)
7. tr to pursue and find or capture

   to run down a fugitive

8. tr to read swiftly or perfunctorily

   he ran down their list of complaints

adjective

1. tired; exhausted
2. worn-out, shabby, or dilapidated

noun

1. a brief review, résumé, or summary
2. the process of a motor or mechanism coming gradually to a standstill after the source of power is removed
3. a reduction in number or size

Word History and Origins

Origin of run-down¹

First recorded in 1675–85; adj. use of verb phrase run down

Example Sentences

Another tool at the council’s disposal are Empty Dwelling Management Orders, which give councils the right to take over and make repairs to run-down private properties that have been vacant for at least two years.

From BBC

I didn't have an adopted name or an address beyond the city where my sister had last lived — a run-down New England town whose primary claim to fame is its crime rate.

From Salon

Here’s a run-down of what to expect as jurors deliberate for potentially days or weeks.

From Salon

Artists hung paintings from trees, converted the walls of stores and restaurants into galleries, and filled some of Dakar’s run-down architectural gems with installations — piles of rubble, pieces of pirogue boats, a tennis court.

From New York Times

In May 2022, Deputy Zachary Cotton posted a picture of a man’s body found decomposing in Robinhood, an impoverished neighborhood of run-down trailers and makeshift shacks that deputies often targeted for drug raids.

From New York Times

Related Words

• broken-down
• crumbling
• decrepit
• derelict
• deserted
• desolate
• dilapidated
• dingy
• neglected
• ramshackle
• rickety
• seedy
• tacky