run point

present singular third person runs point · participle present running point · past ran point

1. governmentSynonym of take point (“to assume the first and most exposed position in a formation”).

   John hustled to the front and ran point. Three armed Hezbollah men appeared from the barracks to their right. John stopped, planted his feet, and fired from the standing position: pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop.

   2013, Howard E[ugene] Wasdin, Stephen Templin, Easy Day for the Dead: A SEAL Team Six Outcasts Novel, New York, N.Y. […]: Gallery Books, →ISBN, page 194

   Synonyms: take point

2. Synonym of take point (“to assume a key role in an operation”).

   The administration enlisted a smart, seasoned diplomat, Kurt Volker, to run point on its Ukraine policy.

   2017 October 4, Antony J. Blinken, “Time for the Trump Administration to Arm Ukraine”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 16 May 2023

   1 more example

   Whether he was running point at an Ohio rally or sitting rod-straight with a fixed grimace while Trump went commando at a photo op, the prime minister managed to navigate the circus without getting eaten by the lions.

   2019 October 2, Peter Lewis, “It infuriates progressives but Australians think our US relationship is more important than who the president is”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 05 Dec 2022

   Synonyms: take point

1. participlepastpast participle of run point