Meanings
verbrun scared (third-person singular simple present runs scared, present participle running scared, simple past ran scared, past participle run scared)
present singular third person runs scared · participle present running scared · past ran scared
- idiomaticintransitiveTo be in a state of fearful alarm.
The campaign is in crisis mode: they are running scared and it is becoming obvious.
1 more example
You came to me when I was lonely / And no one cared / You made me see that I was only / Just running scared
1981 June 28, William King, Harold Hudson, Shirley Hanna-King, “Lady (You Bring Me Up)” (track 1), in In the Pocket, performed by Commodores
Translations
French courir en fuite
- courir en fuiteto be in a state of fearful alarm
German es langsam mit der Angst zu tun kriegen, Angst bekommen
- es langsam mit der Angst zu tun kriegento be in a state of fearful alarm
- Angst bekommento be in a state of fearful alarm
Cite this entry
APA
run scared. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/run%20scared
MLA
“run scared.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/run%20scared. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “run scared,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/run%20scared.
Source: run scared on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.