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

But when Inter Miami ran out from the locker room, fans erupted in cheers and applause. —Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 8 Mar. 2026

After you're done chowing down, make for the Santa Monica Pier, where Route 66 finally runs out of road, and the Pacific Ocean rolls in—a fittingly cinematic finale to this all-American adventure. —Zoey Goto, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026

The city is already anticipating a roughly $20 million deficit in 2028, in part because that’s when a federal grant that allowed for the hiring of additional firefighters runs out, said city manager Rickelle Williams. —Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2026

According to the union, the health fund has suffered eight-figure losses for the past four years, totaling $205 million, and the fund will run out of money in the next three years if nothing changes. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 7 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