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

Follow Andy for continued coverage of the newest fads in the ultra-premium whiskey market, how tariffs would affect prices for bottle importers and why Scotland could soon be running out of peat. —Andy Vasoyan, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025

But the money ran out more than a year ago, and the program has been halted. —Jessica Schreifels, ProPublica, 30 Apr. 2025

Gaza Nearly two months after Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid, the World Food Programme in Gaza has run out of food. —Jade Walker, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2025

In light of the recent Maryland General Assembly session, my patience with the people running this state has run out. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 29 Apr. 2025

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