take up the running

verb

To proceed at full speed.

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Meanings

verbtake up the running (third-person singular simple present takes up the running, present participle taking up the running, simple past took up the running, past participle taken up the running)

present singular third person takes up the running · participle present taking up the running · past took up the running · participle past taken up the running

  1. datedidiomaticTo proceed at full speed.

Origin

Originally used of racehorses.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

take up the running. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20up%20the%20running

MLA

“take up the running.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20up%20the%20running. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “take up the running,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20up%20the%20running.

Source: take up the running on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.