running on empty

Idioms

At the end of one's resources, out of money, as in I don't know how much longer we can live this way—we're running on empty with no jobs in sight. This idiom refers to a car running when the gas gauge indicates it is out of fuel. [Second half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

running on empty

She said she had been pushing past her limits "running on empty, and my body finally said enough. It honestly scared me."

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026

Barrelates and classical Pilates for when you’re running on empty.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026

"I had been running on empty for so long - I didn't realise," Lucy says.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025

"When sleep deprive yourself over a long period of time, chronically, not only are you running on empty, you're also keeping the stress hormones and the stress levels in your brain high."

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2023

Lately, though, the running game is running on empty.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 29, 2022

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023