runner
run·ner / ˈrənər/ • n. 1. a person who runs, esp. in a specified way: a fast runner. ∎ a person who runs competitively as a sport or hobby: a marathon runner. ∎ a horse that runs in a particular race: there were only four runners. ∎ a messenger, collector, or agent for a bank, bookmaker, or other organization. ∎ Baseball a base runner. ∎ a messenger in the army. 2. [in comb.] a person who smuggles specified goods into or out of a country or area: a drug-runner. 3. a rod, groove, or blade on which something slides. ∎ each of the long pieces on the underside of a sled that forms the contact in sliding. ∎ (often runners) a roller for moving a heavy article. ∎ a ring capable of slipping or sliding along a strap or rod or through which something may be passed or drawn. ∎ Naut. a rope run through a block. 4. a shoot, typically leafless, that grows from the base of a plant along the surface of the ground and can take root at points along its length. ∎ a plant that spreads by means of such shoots. ∎ a twining plant. 5. a long, narrow rug or strip of carpet, esp. for a hall or stairway. 6. (also runner stone) a revolving millstone.7. a fast-swimming fish of the jack family, occurring in tropical seas.