make the running

present singular third person makes the running · participle present making the running · participle past made the running · past made the running · alternative make all the running

1. UKidiomaticTo have a leading or influential position in a field or activity; to be more active than others.

   He added: "In this period if you looked at the western world and asked who is making the running, from the point of view of modern society and particularly in terms of liberty, it would be Britain and we forget that. Britain is absolutely the model of the future."

   2014 April 7, Mark Brown, “Royal art show, The First Georgians, to open at Buckingham Palace”, in The Guardian

   Synonyms: set the pace