run out of

1. 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

Sometimes songwriters struggle later in life because they run out of things to write about.

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Yet, the bond markets remain confident that U.S. inflation won’t run out of control, even as investors point to soaring gold prices as a sign of fear that politicians and central banks will choose inflation as the easy way out of debt problems.

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We have a 24/7 operation center that we run out of our Dallas, Texas, facility, and we have communication with the trucks.

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Employers’ organization Medef said flight cancellations are restricting imports and that some local bakeries have run out of flour.

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Huang, 38, has discussed with her children how to handle various emergencies, including what to do if they run out of food and water in the mountains, and where to take cover during an earthquake.

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Related Words

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