run out

verb

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

Definition of run 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

— run out of

: to use up the available supply of

ran out of time

— run out on

: desert

See run out defined for kids

Recent Examples of run out from the Web

Senator Klobuchar asked Zuckerberg whether Cambridge Analytica and the Russian disinformation campaign run out of Saint Petersburg’s Internet Research Agency (IRA) many have been targeting the same users.

— brandy zadrozny, NBC News, "Cambridge Analytica Linked to Russian Trolls?," 10 Apr. 2018
The officer, a corporal whom police did not name, was walking his cocker spaniel on a leash in Fort Washington at about 8:20 a.m. Thursday when a Cane Corso, also known as an Italian mastiff, ran out of a neighbor’s garage, police said.

— Washington Post, "Off-duty Md. officer shot mastiff after it attacked him and his dog, police say," 9 Apr. 2018
Elsewhere on Thursday night, Arsenal took a firm grip on their tie with CSKA Moscow, producing a brilliant first half display to blow their Russian opponents away and running out 4-1 winners.

— SI.com, "Atletico Madrid 2-0 Sporting CP: Koke & Griezmann Help Atleti Take Firm Grip on EL Tie Against Leões," 5 Apr. 2018
California’s strategy undoubtedly relies on the hope that the clock will run out on the Trump administration’s drive to preempt tougher fuel-economy standards because Trump himself will be evicted from office in 2020.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Administration Declares War on California’s Environmental Standards," 3 Apr. 2018
Best trout action at present is around creek mouths running out of the marsh country, with falling tides usually producing the best bite.

— frank sargeant, AL.com, "Spring break angling action on the Alabama coast," 31 Mar. 2018
Instead, longtime Malloy confidant Andrew McDonald is facing an almost-certain rejection by the state Senate Tuesday — a crushing blow for a governor running out of time to leave his mark on state government.

— neil vigdor, courant.com, "Analysis: Doomed Nomination Of Chief Justice Pick Sets Bitter Tone For Midterm Election," 27 Mar. 2018
Wylie said this initiative resembled previous SCL Group efforts to shape the outcomes of elections on behalf of candidates in several other nations, including Kenya, Nigeria and India, often through affiliated companies run out of London.

— author: craig timberg, tom hamburger, Anchorage Daily News, "Former Cambridge Analytica workers say firm sent foreigners to advise US campaigns," 26 Mar. 2018
An external drive helps combat one of the most frustrating parts of computing—running out of storage space.

— alexandria haslam, PCWorld, "Our favorite external drive, the Western Digital 4TB My Passport, is on sale," 26 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'run out.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.