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.

---

Example Sentences

Many sketches pack in a number of ideas, which can make them feel wayward, some run out of ideas before they end, and even the best ones can go on too long.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026

Internet and phone service were spotty, and over such a long time even siblings can run out of things to say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

Using these clues, players continue making guesses until they either find the answer and turn all five squares green or run out of attempts.

From Science Daily • Jun. 19, 2026

He said, “No. I think it just means they’ve run out of things on the food chain.”

From Salon • Jun. 12, 2026

They’d run out of rice yesterday, even though Papa had sold the “stolen” wheat.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

Related Words

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