run up on

verb

To approach with speed or forceful intensity

“Hey, don't run up on me like that while my back's turned...I might accidentally deck you.”

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Meanings

verbrun up on (third-person singular simple present runs up on, present participle running up on, simple past ran up on, past participle run up on)

present singular third person runs up on · participle present running up on · past ran up on

  1. transitiveTo approach with speed or forceful intensity

    Hey, don't run up on me like that while my back's turned...I might accidentally deck you.

  2. transitiveAfrican-American VernacularTo confront with hostility
  3. transitiveAfrican-American VernacularTo hit on (somebody).

Origin

From run up + on.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

run up on. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/run%20up%20on

MLA

“run up on.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/run%20up%20on. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “run up on,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/run%20up%20on.

Source: run up on on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.