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

This technology helps the company maintain the right balance of stock and reduces the risk of overstocking or running out of popular items. —Kartik Jobanputra, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024

Authorities found a lost hiker who ran out of food and water amid freezing temperatures on Oregon’s Mount McLoughlin over the weekend. —David Chiu, People.com, 1 Oct. 2024

Adding in a microcurrent facial device to your weekly regime could encourage you to stay in rather than running out and exhausting yourself as often. —Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2024

Get on board with this fun take on today’s first-world problems and never run out of power with this plug-and-socket costume from Walmart. —Jené Luciani Sena, Fox News, 1 Oct. 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