on the run

on the run idiom
  1. In rapid retreat; also, attempting to escape from pursuers. For example, The guerrillas were on the run after the ambush, or The burglars were on the run from the police. [Early 1800s]
  2. Hurrying from place to place, as in The company officers were always on the run from New York to Los Angeles and back. [Late 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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