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

The slight worry is that Zheng will run out of gas at some point after coming through the qualifying tournament and winning six matches in New York. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

For now, the naval blockade has proved to be a potent economic weapon, and Iranian officials have admitted that conditions are dire and suggested time is running out. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026

This track-only tour de force pays homage to the Interceptor that was brought to market in 1966 by Jenson Motors, a manufacturer active for roughly five decades until running out of figurative gas in 1976. — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 4 Sep. 2026

But other businesses usually have the same idea, and the fuel depots often run out those days. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 4 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