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

As Houston lined up in victory formation with time running out, Herbert stood on the sideline with his hands on his hips. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2025

This devastation has affected thousands upon thousands of people who just ran out of their homes with nothing in their hands and are trying to rebuild. —CBS News, 12 Jan. 2025

While researching her book, Randles talked to families who ran out of diapers and had to stay home and keep their child on a linoleum floor or set them on the toilet every 20 minutes. —Michael Cuglietta, Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2025

In a press conference Wednesday departmental officials said the tanks in the area were all the way full at around 1 million gallons in each of the three at the start of the blaze, but those supplies ran out by Wednesday morning. —Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

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