Meaning & use
run out
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Meanings
verbintransitive
to use all of something so that none is left
Grammar: No object; the thing that is finished comes after 'of': we ran out of milk.
Patterns
- run out of something
- be running out of something
We've run out of coffee, so I'll buy some on the way home.
The team ran out of time and never finished the project.
Hurry, we're running out of petrol.
verbintransitive
to come to an end and stop being valid or available
Grammar: Often used of time, a contract, or a period: my visa runs out in June.
Patterns
- something runs out
- time runs out
My passport runs out next year.
The offer runs out at the end of the month.
Time ran out before they could agree.
verbtransitive or intransitivesport
in cricket, to be dismissed by a fielder hitting the stumps while you are outside your ground
Grammar: Can be passive: he was run out for 20.
Patterns
- be run out
- run someone out
He was run out going for a second run.
The fielder ran her out with a direct hit.
nouncountableinformal
a short trip taken to test a vehicle or to give someone a ride
Grammar: Usually written 'run-out' in this sense.
Patterns
- a run-out in something
- go for a run-out
We took the new car for a quick run-out.
He gave me a run-out to the airport.
Word forms
| third person singular | runs out |
|---|---|
| past tense | ran out |
| past participle | run out |
| -ing form | running out |
Common combinations
- run out of time
- We ran out of time before we could finish.
- run out of money
- They ran out of money halfway through the trip.
- run out of steam
- The campaign ran out of steam by May.
- be run out for 20
- The opener was run out for 20.
Synonyms and how they differ
- use up
- This is transitive and focuses on the thing used: we used up the milk, but we say 'we ran out of milk'.
- expire
- A more formal choice for documents and contracts that stop being valid.
- deplete
- Formal and transitive; it stresses reducing a supply, not the moment nothing is left.
Opposites
Word family
- runout noun
- A cricket dismissal of this kind, often written as one word.
Commonly confused: run out or run out on?
run out vs run out on
This means to leave someone you should stay with, as in 'he ran out on his family', which is very different from using up a supply.
Practice
We need to buy eggs because we've ___ out of them.
Choose one answer.
After 'have' we need the past participle 'run', so 'have run out of' is correct. 'Ran' would need a simple past with no 'have', as in 'we ran out of eggs'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “run out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.