run by — to tell someone about something so they can give their opinion
phrasal verbB2IELTS 5.5+neutralcommon
to quickly explain an idea, plan, or decision to someone to see what they think about it
Say it like a native
Textbook I should like to solicit your opinion on this proposal.
Native Can I run this by you quickly?
'Run by' is the natural way to ask for someone's quick take; 'solicit your opinion' is formal.
Pattern: run [something] by [someone]
In use
- Let me run this idea by you before I send it to the team.communication
- Before making a big decision, I usually run it by my parents to get their advice.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Let me run by you the idea.
✓ Let me run the idea by you.
The order is 'run [the thing] by [the person]'.
Common collocations
run + something + by— it by you, the idea by him, this by the boss, by you first
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'run by' meaning 'managed by' (e.g., 'The shop is run by my aunt'). Here, it means to check someone's opinion.