What does "run out" mean?
What it means: To exhaust the supply of something; to have none left."We've run out of milk.""I ran out of time before I could finish.""The battery ran out during the call.""Don't let us run out of ideas."The structure: Run out of + noun (what you've exhausted):"Run out of money / patience / spac...
What it means
To exhaust the supply of something; to have none left.
"We've run out of milk."
"I ran out of time before I could finish."
"The battery ran out during the call."
"Don't let us run out of ideas."
The structure
Run out of + noun (what you've exhausted):
"Run out of money / patience / space / options"
Run out (without of)
The supply ends completely:
"Time has run out." (no time left)
"The contract has run out." (it's expired)
What it implies
Something that was available is now gone - often inconveniently or at a critical moment.
Not separable
"Run out of something." β / "Run something out." β
A native would say
- "We're out of..." - "We're out of coffee." (quick version)
- "We're fresh out of..." - informal, slightly emphasised: "Sorry, we're fresh out of time."
- "Used up" - "We've used up all the budget."
- "Exhausted" - formal: "Funds have been exhausted."
Register
Casual to neutral. Very common in everyday speech.
What does "run out" mean?
To exhaust the supply of something; to have none left.
"We've run out of milk."
"I ran out of time before I could finish."
"The battery ran out during the call."
"Don't let us run out of ideas."
Is "run out" formal or informal?
Casual to neutral. Very common in everyday speech.
What's another way to say "run out"?
- "We're out of..." - "We're out of coffee." (quick version)
- "We're fresh out of..." - informal, slightly emphasised: "Sorry, we're fresh out of time."
- "Used up" - "We've used up all the budget."
- "Exhausted" - formal: "Funds have been exhausted."
Phrasal verbs are one of the hardest parts of English to master.
LLH Tutor explains them in plain language, so you know exactly when and how to use each one.
Save to your vocabulary