Which of the following words is most similar in meaning to the verb "run" when it refers to fast movement on foot?

Introduction / Context:
Many English vocabulary questions ask you to select a word that has a similar meaning to a common verb, but with a slightly more precise or intense sense. The verb run can have many meanings, including to manage, to operate, or to flow. However, in its basic physical sense, it refers to moving quickly on foot. This question focuses on that everyday physical meaning and asks you to choose the option that is closest in sense to running fast.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The context is physical movement on foot, not managing a company or running a machine.
• The options include different verbs of movement.
• We are looking for the verb that best captures fast, energetic movement similar to running.
• Each word has a standard dictionary meaning for how quickly or slowly someone moves.

Concept / Approach:
Sprint means to run at full speed over a short distance. It is often used in sports contexts such as sprint races, where runners move as fast as they can. This makes sprint a close and often more intense version of run in the sense of rapid movement. Walk refers to moving at a normal, moderate pace, slower than running. Crawl and creep both describe very slow movement, often close to the ground or done quietly. Therefore, among the given options, sprint most closely matches the idea of running fast on foot.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Fix the meaning of run in this question as to move quickly on foot, not metaphorical uses. Step 2: Examine sprint and recall that it means to run at top speed, especially over a short distance. Step 3: Recognise that walk describes a slower, everyday pace of movement, clearly weaker than running. Step 4: Notice that crawl and creep describe very slow movement, often on hands and knees or with great caution. Step 5: Choose sprint as the verb that aligns with run in terms of speed and physical action.

Verification / Alternative check:
Try substituting each option into a simple sentence. If you say The athletes will run 100 metres, you can also say The athletes will sprint 100 metres and keep a similar meaning, perhaps emphasising speed even more. But The athletes will walk 100 metres suggests a slow, casual movement, not a race. The athletes will crawl 100 metres and The athletes will creep 100 metres completely change the picture to very slow, possibly painful or secretive movement. The substitution test makes it clear that only sprint fits naturally as a high speed movement similar to run.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Walk: This is wrong because walking is slower than running. It refers to ordinary movement where at least one foot is always on the ground, unlike running or sprinting.
Crawl: This is wrong because crawling is very slow movement, usually on hands and knees, and is almost the opposite of running fast.
Creep: This is wrong because creeping implies slow, careful, and often secretive movement, again very different from open, fast running.

Common Pitfalls:
Some students may be tempted to choose walk because it is a very common word of movement, but they forget to check whether it matches the speed implied by run. Others might not know the exact meaning of sprint and overlook it. Remember that exam setters often include one precise word among more general or clearly opposite words; choosing the precise word that fits the definition usually leads to the correct answer.

Final Answer:
The word most similar in meaning to run in the sense of fast movement on foot is Sprint.