Run out meaning
Run out means to use all of something so there is none left. It can also mean to be all used, so that there is none left.
run out
run out · ran · run · running
Is there any more rice? No, we’ve run out.
Run out meanings and examples
3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Use all of something so there is none left
run out
- Is there any more rice? No, we’ve run out.
- Sorry, the blue ones are gone. We ran out this morning.
- Buy two packs so we don’t run out.
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2
Be all used, so that there is none left
run out
- Hurry up! Time is running out.
- The money ran out before the end of the month.
- What will we do when the water runs out?
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3
Come to an end, so that it is no longer valid
run out
- My passport runs out next March.
- Has your phone contract run out yet?
- The free trial ran out after thirty days.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use run out in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is run out separable?
Run out has no object. The person can be the subject (We’ve run out) or the thing can be (The milk has run out). To name the thing after a person, use run out of.
Time is running out is a very common way to say hurry. For papers and contracts, expire is the formal word: My visa expires in May.
Verb tenses for run out
| Present | I run out · she runs out |
|---|---|
| Past | ran out |
| Present perfect | have run out |
| -ing form | running out |
Common mistakes with run out
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: We’ve run out the bread.
Right: We’ve run out of bread.
With a person as subject, add of before the thing.
Wrong: The sugar is ran out.
Right: The sugar has run out.
Use has and the participle run for the present perfect.
Wrong: My visa runs off next week.
Right: My visa runs out next week.
For a document ending, the particle is out.
Synonyms and opposites of run out
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- run out ofthe same idea when the thing comes after the verb
- expireformal; a document or offer ends
- use upuse all of something on purpose or by doing something
Opposite
- be in stocka shop still has some to sell
- renewmake a document or contract valid for longer
Run out quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1Quick! Buy the tickets before time ___.
Time runs out means there is no time left.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Put of before the thing: run out of eggs.
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3“Your library card ran out last week.” What should you do?
Here run out means the card is no longer valid.
More phrasal verbs with run
All phrasal verbs with run, by level, with an exercise
8 phrasal verbs start with run. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
- run out ofB1use all of something so that you have none left
- run intoB2meet someone you know when you did not expect to
- run awayB2leave a person or place suddenly, often secretly, to escape
- run overC1hit someone or something with a vehicle and drive over them
- run downB2lose power slowly, or make something lose power
- run throughB2explain, read or check something quickly from start to end
- run offB2leave a place or person suddenly, often without saying why
Run out FAQ
Questions people ask about run out.
Run out or run out of?
Use run out at the end: We’ve run out. Use run out of before the thing: We’ve run out of milk.
What does time is running out mean?
It means you have very little time left, so you must act soon. Time is running out to book cheap flights.
Can run out mean leave a place?
Yes, in its normal meaning: He ran out to the car. This is just run plus out, so it is easy to understand.
Use run out in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.