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

During starting lineup introductions, third-string quarterback Cooper Rush ran out of the tunnel and received a soft chorus of boos. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 21 Sep. 2026

The offense was lifeless, the stats were ugly, and NFL legends are running out of patience with the former golden boy. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Withdrawing money from stocks that are declining in value leaves less runway for growth when the market eventually rebounds, leaving retirees more vulnerable to running out of money in their later years. — Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026

Champlin Park went on a long drive, running out the clock, imposing their will. — Ren Clayton, CBS News, 20 Sep. 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