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

see also:

run out of run out on

Examples of run out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Queens coach Grant Leonard, known for his holiday sweaters, wore a green one decorated with the American flag and shamrocks, but the Royals’ luck ran out. —Charlotte Observer, 21 Mar. 2026

Iran could run out of drones and missiles, or our interventions could work perfectly, or there could be a coup tomorrow by moderate Iranian military officers seeking a deal with America. —Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2026

The donations ran out in a few hours due to the demand. —Steve Maugeri, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026

Tuchel was set to see his contract run out following the end of the World Cup, but signed a new deal in February that will now take him through to the European Championships in 2028. —David Ornstein, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for run out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

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