Run down means to criticise or speak badly of someone or something, often unfairly. The second meaning describes a person who feels exhausted and weakened from overwork: I feel a bit run-down.
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run down + noun; run + me/him/yourself + down (criticise); feel/be run-down (tired and unwell)
- He's always running down his little brother's cooking, even though it's actually pretty good.
- Stop running yourself down — your English has improved a lot this year.
- After weeks of night shifts, she felt completely run down and caught a cold.
What changed
First versionMy manager always runs down me in front of the whole team.
RevisionMy manager always runs me down in front of the whole team.
It's tempting to put the object straight after the whole phrase, as in runs down me. But when the object is a pronoun (me, him, it, yourself), it goes between run and down: runs me down, stop running yourself down. A noun, on the other hand, can also come after down: runs down my ideas.
Put down means to hurt someone with an unkind remark, usually to their face: He put me down in front of my friends. Run down is broader: you can run someone down to their face or behind their back, and you can also run down their work, a company or a town: She's always running down her home town.
Your turn
She kept ___ my presentation in front of everyone, saying the slides were badly designed.
Show the answer
running down — The context describes someone constantly criticising a presentation, so running down fits. Running over would mean hitting someone with a vehicle or going through something quickly, and neither fits here.
Describe someone who is always criticising or belittling you or someone else. Say what they say and how often.
My colleague runs down my ideas in almost every meeting, saying they're too expensive or will never work.
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