# run out of sth

CEFR B1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/run-out-of-sth
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to use all of something so that there is none left.

For teachers: to exhaust a supply of something; a transitive phrasal verb indicating the depletion of a resource.

## Examples

- We have run out of milk.
- I was halfway through the recipe when I realized I had run out of sugar.
- The expedition was forced to turn back early after they realized they would soon run out of oxygen and fresh water.

## Pitfalls

- Not "We ran out the coffee." but "We ran out of coffee." — the preposition 'of' is essential when naming the item that has finished.

## Usage notes

- always followed by the noun representing the resource that is finished.
- Teaching tip: contrast with 'there is no more left' (state) versus 'run out of' (the action of finishing the supply); also note the intransitive version 'the milk ran out'.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.