Meaning & use
to run errands
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
to make a short trip, often several, to do small jobs such as buying things or delivering something.
Grammar: Used as an intransitive verb phrase; you can say 'run errands' or 'run an errand' for one trip.
Patterns
- run errands
- run an errand
- run errands for someone
I have to run errands this morning: the bank, the post office, and the pharmacy.
She spent the afternoon running errands for her grandmother.
Can you run an errand for me and pick up the dry cleaning?
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
- He often runs errands for his elderly neighbor.
- spend the morning running errands
- I spent the morning running errands around town.
- a list of errands
- She made a list of errands before leaving the house.
- run errands on the way home
- I'll run a few errands on the way home from work.
Synonyms and how they differ
- do chores
- Chores are regular jobs around the house, like cleaning; errands involve going out to do small tasks.
- go shopping
- Shopping is only about buying things; running errands can include shopping but also banks, post offices, and other tasks.
Word family
- errand noun
- a single short trip to do a small job
- errand boy noun
- old-fashioned and often disapproving term for a young person employed to do small tasks
Commonly confused: to run errands or run around?
to run errands vs run around
Run around means to be very busy moving from place to place, often without a clear purpose; running errands means doing specific small jobs.
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
The phrase is 'run errands' with a plural noun, so option 2 is correct. Option 0 is missing a determiner or plural; option 1 mixes 'an' with a plural; and option 3 uses the -ing form after 'to', which is not correct here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “to run errands”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.