run out of

Idioms and Phrases

Exhaust a supply or quantity of, as in We're about to run out of coffee and sugar . This expression, dating from about 1700, can be used both literally and figuratively. Thus run out of gas may mean one no longer has any fuel, but it has also acquired the figurative sense of exhausting a supply of energy, enthusiasm, or support, and hence causing some activity to come to a halt. For example, After running ten laps I ran out of gas and had to rest to catch my breath , or The economic recovery seems to have run out of gas . On the other hand, run out of steam , originally alluding to a steam engine, today is used only figuratively to indicate a depletion of energy of any kind.

Example Sentences

“The thing that we need to investigate... is to make sure we don’t run out of water any sooner than we have to,” Bennett said.

From Los Angeles Times

He’s the son of Alex Molden, an eight-year NFL cornerback, and some of his earliest memories are of NFL locker rooms, attending team family events and watching his father run out of the tunnel.

From Los Angeles Times

The only players who will run out of eligibility after this season are Johnson and Stefanovic, though Cronin knows he’ll have to re-recruit everyone else on the roster next spring.

From Los Angeles Times

In the past few years, Hasakah, a city of one million people, has run out of clean water.

From BBC

The UK's biggest water group has secured a loan of up to £3bn following fears that it would run out of funding by Christmas.

From BBC

Related Words

• absorb
• deplete
• devour
• dominate
• drain
• eat up
• employ
• exhaust
• expend
• obsess
• preoccupy
• spend
• waste