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in the running: meaning and explanation

If you are in the running for something, you are still involved in the competition for something and therefore still have a chance of being successful.

For example - if you say that four people are in the running for a job, it means that the company are considering four different people - they all have a chance of getting the job.

When someone is eliminated from a process, they are out of the running, or no longer in the running.

Have a go at these micro-dictation exercises to hear this expression being used in context – how much can you understand?

Listening exercises

Dictation #1

Accent: England (RP)

Dublin , Olympics.
After Dublin , four cities in host Olympics.

About the sentence

...After Dublin pulled out...

You can practise the phrasal verb to pull out of something here.

Dictation #2

Accent: Northern England

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Dictation #3

Accent: North America

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Extra practice

Here are some questions/links to help you learn the new vocabulary:

  • Are you currently in the running for anything?
  • Can you remember a time when you were just happy to be in the running for something, even though you had no chance of being successful?

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