to exhaust (a supply of something) or (of a supply) to become exhausted
(intr) to expire; become no longer valid
my passport has run out
informal to desert or abandon
(tr) cricket to dismiss (a running batsman) by breaking the wicket with the ball, or with the ball in the hand, while he is out of his ground
cricket dismissal of a batsman by running him out
mechanical engineering an imperfection of a rotating component so that not all parts revolve about their intended axes relative to each other
Become used up or exhausted, as in Our supplies have run out . [Late 1600s]
Compel to leave; see run off , def. 5.
Become void, expire, as in Our renter's insurance ran out last month . [c. 1300] Also see run out of ; run out on .
First recorded in 1865–70; noun use of verb phrase run out
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler found form at the Indian Premier League before winning the match for Gujarat Titans with a final-ball run-out in a remarkable one-run victory over Delhi Capitals.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
He was involved in the run-out of skipper Michael Bracewell, who made 16 and departed after a direct throw from Shreyas Iyer.
From Barron's • Jan. 11, 2026
Stunning one-stump run-out of Stokes altered the momentum of the first day.
From BBC • Dec. 7, 2025
Stokes has regularly skipped warm-up matches in the past, though he needed this run-out following his spell on the sidelines.
From BBC • Nov. 14, 2025
Charles stood over him, gulping air like a run-out dog.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
