run out

verb

ran out; run out; running out; runs out

intransitive verb

1

a

: to come to an end : expire

time ran out

b

: to become exhausted or used up

the gasoline ran out

2

: to jut out

transitive verb

1

a

: to finish out (a course, a series, a contest, etc.) : complete

b

of a baseball batter : to run hard to first base after hitting (a batted ball)

ran out the grounder

2

a

: to fill out (a typeset line) with quads, leaders, or ornaments

b

: to set (a line of text, such as the first line of a paragraph) with a hanging indention

3

: to exhaust (oneself) in running

4

: to cause to leave by force or coercion : expel

Phrases

run out of

: to use up the available supply of

ran out of time

run out on

: desert

Examples of run out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But when the results came in, Genevieve’s luck ran out and she was ousted by a vote of 3-2. —Nick Caruso, TVLine, 12 Dec. 2024

Snagging a deal on Woot is about being quick, as these deals don't stick for long, disappearing as soon as stock runs out (which is usually pretty quick). —Gabriela Vatu, PCMAG, 12 Dec. 2024

Time ran out, and Bears players stood in the middle of the field stunned. —Chicago Tribune, 10 Dec. 2024

Congress has just 10 days until government funding is set to run out, and lawmakers don’t have a deal to keep the lights on during the holidays. —Aris Folley, The Hill, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

run out

verb

1

: to come to an end : expire

time ran out before we could tie the game

2

: to become exhausted or used up

our supplies were running out