Phrasal verb
be out of
Definition
phrasal verb. to have no more of something left because you have used it all.
phrasal verb. to have exhausted a supply of a specific commodity or resource; functions as a stative phrasal verb indicating a lack of availability.
Examples
“We are out of milk, so I need to go to the shop.”
“The printer is out of ink again, which is very annoying when I have a deadline.”
“By the third day of the hike, the group was completely out of clean water and had to find a nearby stream.”
Examples
simple
“We are out of milk, so I need to go to the shop.”
contextual
“The printer is out of ink again, which is very annoying when I have a deadline.”
complex
“By the third day of the hike, the group was completely out of clean water and had to find a nearby stream.”
Usage
usually followed by a noun representing the resource that is missing.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'run out of' (the process of using the supply) versus 'be out of' (the state of having none left).
Pitfall
We are out milk.
We are out of milk.
the preposition 'of' is necessary to connect the state to the specific item that is missing.
Phrasal verb
Particles
out of
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
be + out + of + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/be-out-of