: having a tendency to run: such as
a
: extremely or excessively soft and liquid
a runny dough
b
: secreting a thin flow of mucus
a runny nose
Examples of runny in a Sentence
The scrambled eggs are runny.
The pudding is runnier than I like it.
a little boy with a runny nose
My eyes felt itchy and runny.
Recent Examples on the Web
Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes, and a rash.
—
Dan Raby, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
Common symptoms of measles include cough, runny nose, pink eye and rash.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Those choices might be influenced by the ways many people underestimate the flu—a term often used to describe any cold-weather ailment that comes with a runny nose, cough, or even gastrointestinal upset.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
Given the lack of gravity, even a runny nose can turn into an extremely unpleasant experience, forcing astronauts to resort to unusual measures just to drain mucus from their nasal passages.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for runny
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Runny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/runny. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
Kids Definition
runny
adjective
run·ny
ˈrən-ē 
runnier; runniest
1
: too soft and liquid
the scrambled eggs are runny
2
: giving off a liquid
a runny nose
Medical Definition
runny
adjective
run·ny
ˈrən-ē
: secreting a thin flow of mucus
a runny nose
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
