Dictionary

(chiefly in the passive) To arrest.

Example: The guys who robbed the bank last week have finally been run in.

To use new machinery at less than full speed, preventing damage.

Example: I have to drive slowly for the first 1,000 miles to run the engine in.

To start a new regime slowly.

To score (a try).

An encounter; a scrape or brush, especially one involving trouble or difficulty.

The end-phase of a competition.

Example: Yahoo Sport's Leicester City blogger Helen Nutter gets ready for the Premier League run-in knowing her side - incredibly - still have a great chance of being crowned champions