run out of

Idioms  

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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

run out of

“We didn’t get run out of the stadium,” Riley said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

The ambassador said Washington "had run out of patience" with Pretoria because it had failed to respond adequately to certain of its demands.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

“When they have opportunities that exceed their cost of capital, they should invest in them. When they run out of those, they should buy back stock.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

The startup was going to produce either multiple mRNA products, or zero, having run out of money before proving the technology’s safety, he explained.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Cold air sneaked in just where she’d run out of muck and had to use grass.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

Related Words

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