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

The newest team in Major League Soccer, San Diego FC is fast running out of firsts — good and bad. —Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2025

Apple AirPods Pro 2 Best Amazon Prime Day Apple Deals Time is running out to shop Apple devices on sale — and there are so many customer favorites going for their lowest prices all year. —Isabel Garcia, People.com, 11 July 2025

Meanwhile, the planet’s remaining carbon budget is rapidly running out. —Ingmar Rentzhog, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025

Time is running out, so here’s a fresh assortment of markdowns to choose from. —Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 11 July 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