Meaning & use
run errands
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
To go out to perform small, routine tasks such as shopping or banking.
Grammar: Used as an intransitive verb phrase; often followed by 'for someone' or 'to a place'.
Patterns
- run errands for someone
- run errands to a place
- run errands all day
I have to run errands this morning: first the post office, then the bank.
She spent the afternoon running errands for her elderly neighbor.
He runs errands on his way home from work.
Word forms
| third person singular | runs errands |
|---|---|
| past tense | ran errands |
| past participle | run errands |
| -ing form | running errands |
Common combinations
- run errands for someone
- Could you run errands for me while I'm sick?
- run errands all day
- She was exhausted after running errands all day.
- run a quick errand
- I need to run a quick errand before we meet.
- run errands on foot
- In the city, many people run errands on foot.
Synonyms and how they differ
- do errands
- Very similar meaning; 'do errands' is slightly more common in British English, while 'run errands' is more common in American English.
- go on errands
- Focuses on the act of going out; less common than 'run errands'.
Word family
- errand noun
- A single short trip to do a task, e.g., 'I have an errand to run.'
Practice
Which sentence uses 'run errands' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 1 is correct because 'run errands for someone' is a common pattern. Option 0 is wrong because 'run errands to the store' is not natural; we say 'run errands' or 'go to the store'. Option 2 is wrong because running errands is not a leisure activity in the park. Option 3 is nonsense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “run errands”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.