Meaning & use
meeting running over
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
A meeting that is continuing past the time it was supposed to end.
Grammar: Use it after 'be' or 'have': 'The meeting is running over.' It describes an ongoing situation.
Patterns
- the meeting is running over
- a meeting running over
- meetings running over
I'm sorry, the meeting is running over and I'll be late.
We had a meeting running over by twenty minutes yesterday.
Meetings running over can make everyone late for their next appointment.
Common combinations
- the meeting is running over
- The meeting is running over, so we'll have to skip the coffee break.
- a meeting running over by ten minutes
- A meeting running over by ten minutes can throw off the whole schedule.
- keep a meeting from running over
- A strict agenda can keep a meeting from running over.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overrunning
- More formal and often used for events or projects, not just meetings.
- going over time
- Similar meaning but slightly more neutral; it can describe any activity, not just meetings.
Opposites
Word family
- run over phrasal verb
- To continue beyond a planned time or limit.
Commonly confused: meeting running over or run over?
meeting running over vs run over
As a phrasal verb with an object, 'run over' can mean to hit someone with a vehicle. In 'meeting running over', there is no vehicle and no object; it only means going past the time.
Practice
What does 'the meeting is running over' mean?
Choose one answer.
'Running over' means continuing beyond the planned time. Option An is wrong because the meeting is still happening. Option C is about a change of place, not time. Option D is about starting late, but 'running over' is about ending late.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “meeting running over”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.