An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'run out' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context
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Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them.
This post is all about the phrasal verb 'run out'. In it, I will explain its different meanings for you, with lots of example sentences, so that you can impress your English-speaking friends and family with your excellent skills. So, without further ado, let's make a start....
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RUN OUT: KEY INFORMATION For more explanation of the terms in the table, click here
Usage | Common |
Number of meanings | 3 |
Past Tense Forms | Ran out / run out |
Separable? | Rarely |
MEANINGS (Click to jump to each one)
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THE BASICS
To begin, let's first consider the meaning of the base verb 'to run' and the particle 'out' and what they mean on their own.
Firstly, we have the irregular verb 'to run', meaning to moving on foot at a speed faster than walking, with moments when neither foot is on the ground. In addition to this meaning of, it can also be used to mean 'to manage' (in terms of business) and 'to flow' (in terms of water and liquid) and 'to function (in terms of machines), among other uses.
I run 5km at least twice a week to stay fit and healthy.
Sophie ran past my house this morning.
John runs a very successful printing business.
The river runs alongside the road.
All of the computers in the office are running.
Next, we have the prepositional particle 'out', which is an enormously common word in English, with many meanings and applications. It functions as the natural opposite of 'in' and is used for all things to do with movement away from the inside of something and towards the external part of it and this meaning is often conveyed when 'out' is used in phrasal verb constructions. In addition to this, 'out' can also add the ideas of exhaustion (as I will explain later), appearance (come out), separation (sort out) and exclusion (leave out).
So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'run out'....
MEANING 1: Literal
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CEFR Language Level | B1 - Intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To escape, to flee, to pop to, to nip to, to dash |
Separable? | Sometimes |
For our first meaning of 'run out', we are going to keep things literal and just consider what we get when we combine the these two words together, which is 'to leave an interior space by running'. This could either be to enter into another interior space or to go to an exterior space.
Whilst this application can be used to talk about leaving a room, a building or other internal space quickly (i.e. by running and not walking), it is more often than not used by native speakers when referring to a sudden, dramatic or exciting exit. This could include an escape from somewhere, leaving a room quickly to vomit or chasing someone.
Every day when I get home from work, my dog runs out of the house to greet me.
The schoolchildren ran out of the classroom as soon as the lesson finished.
People started running out of the sea when someone shouted "Shark!".
If you were paying attention to the table at the beginning of the section, you will have noticed that this application of 'run out' can sometimes be used separably. In order to do this, we require a direct object in the sentence (which we do not have in the sentences above).
Let's consider the next expression where we have a direct object between run and out. What do you think the meaning of the sentence could be?
John ran Roger out of the city.
In American English (and less so in British English), if we run someone out of a town or city, it means that we chase or force a person to leave a place, normally by threatening them. Other synonyms of this could be 'to drive away', 'to drive out' and 'to force out'. I guess in the past it was normal for people to chase after someone in order to make them leave their town or city, but nowadays (thankfully) it is not so common and therefore the usage of this is also much rarer. You may still hear this in American television shows and movies however, so it is always useful to know.
The angry villagers ran the tax collector out of the village.
We ran him out of town last week and he has not dared to come back since.
EXTRA INFORMATION TO SOUND LIKE A NATIVE #1
It is possible to use 'run out to somewhere' to express when we need to go somewhere and back quickly.
For example, imagine that you are preparing a dinner party for 5 guests and you realise that you have forgotten to buy dessert. You may then need to run out to the shop to buy a dessert.
This does not mean that you are physically running to the shop, but rather that you are going there and back quickly (normally in a car). It is also common for people to drop the "out" so that they simply 'run to somewhere', however the meaning is the same with or without 'out'.
This usage is perhaps more common in American English, with 'to pop to' or 'to nip to' being more common alternatives in British English.
He has just run out to the post office to post a letter, he will be back shortly.
I've forgotten to buy potatoes. I'm going to quickly run to the store to get some.
MEANING 2: To have no more left of something
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CEFR Language Level | B1 - Intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To sell out, to exhaust, to use up, to expire, to have no more left |
Separable? | No |
Our second meaning of 'run out' is the most commonly used and means 'to have no more left of something'. If you have heard 'to run out' in an English conversation, it is probable that you heard this idiomatic application.
Nouns commonly used with this application: Money Energy Ideas Time Patience |
For this usage, we require the additional preposition 'of' to specify the thing that we do not have anymore, followed by a noun, giving us the construction to run out of something.
We have run out of bread and milk.
Many supermarkets ran out of toilet paper at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
My printer stopped working because it ran out of ink.
Lucy wanted to bake cookies but realised she had run out of sugar.
After hiking for hours, Sharon and Tracey ran out of water and had to turn back.
The computer shop ran out of the new video game within an hour of opening.
Since we use many different things in our lives, the list of possible nouns that can be used with this phrasal verb is very long, but common examples are money, food, energy, space, ideas, patience and options.
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Another very common noun that we use with this phrasal verb is 'time', normally when we have a deadline or future point in time before which something must be completed.
Based on this idea of time and deadlines, we can also use 'run out' as a synonym for the verb "to expire", i.e. to express when the validity of something ends. Typical situations for this would be with a passport or a drivers license, which expire or run out on set dates.
This phrasal verb can certainly be used in formal situations, however in very formal situations a different verb such as 'to exhaust' is definitely more suitable.
I need to find a petrol station before I run out of petrol*!
There are only 5 minutes left in the match; the England football team is running out of time to score another goal and win.
Roger is running out of money fast, so he needs to find a job quickly!
I've booked a holiday to Spain in April and I've just realised that my passport runs out in March! I hope I can renew it in time.
* Petrol in British English is Gas in American English
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EXTRA INFORMATION TO SOUND LIKE A NATIVE #2
In informal conversations, it is also extremely common to simply drop the word 'run' and use the informal construction 'to be out of something' as a synonym.
We need to stop, we are out of time.
I'm afraid we are out of bread, sir. The next delivery will be tomorrow.
A variation of this informal usage is 'to be all out of something'. Again, this is something that should only be used in informal conversations and situations:
Oh no, we are all out of coffee! I will run out to the shop to get some.
MEANING 3: To abandon someone
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CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To abandon, to quit, to leave |
Separable? | No |
Commonly used with | Family, partner, job |
Our third and final meaning of 'run out' means 'to abandon' and is normally used when someone leaves very quickly, suddenly or unexpectedly.
Nouns commonly used with this application:
|
For this application, we are replacing the extra preposition 'of' with 'on', giving us the construction 'to run out on someone / something'.
I imagine that you can probably guess, but this usage is reserved for dramatic and often traumatic life events for people, so thankfully it is not one that you will probably need in tour day to day English. It is definitely more of an informal usage and I would say that it is mainly used to talk about when someone suddenly leaves a relationship or a family.
My ex-husband ran out on me and our 6-month old baby.
Helen was so stressed that she ran out on her job and never went back.
Tony ran out on his wife and 5 children to start a new family with his lover.
He ran out on me last year and now he is begging me to take him back.
IDIOM ALERT!
Before I finish the post, I want to make you aware of a very common expression featuring the phrasal verb 'run out': 'to run out of steam'. We use this nice little saying to express when the progress of something slows down or stops because we lose energy or interest in something.
The Scotland football team played brilliantly in the first half of the game but they ran out of steam in the second half.
I was doing really well with the pre-Christmas baking but I ran out of steam and ended up sitting down for a coffee.
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QUESTIONS FOR WRITING & SPEAKING PRACTICE
Have you ever run out of things to say when answering a job interview question? Did you get the job?
Would you rather run out of gas for your heating on a cold day or electricity for your air conditioning on a hot day? Why?
When was the last time that you ran out of patience (became angry) with someone? What happened?
Do you think that we are running out of time to save the planet from climate change? How can we change the situation?
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We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts.
Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'run out'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!!
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