“Runoff” has multiple meanings.
- As a noun, it can refer to the water that runs off the land surface into streams, rivers, etc. during rainfall or snowmelt. For example, “Heavy rainfall led to a significant increase in runoff, causing the rivers to rise rapidly.” Here, it describes the flow of excess water from the land to water bodies.
- Capital city runoff.
- It can also mean an additional election held to resolve a deadlock or when no candidate has received an absolute majority in the initial vote. For instance, “The presidential election ended in a close race, so a runoff was scheduled to determine the winner.” In this case, it represents a supplementary election.
- In the context of a process, “runoff” can denote the residual or by - product that is left after a particular operation. For example, “The chemical process produced a runoff that needed to be properly disposed of.” Here, it refers to the waste or leftover substance from the chemical process.