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run out of — use all of something

phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcore

To have no more of something left because you have used it all.

Say it like a native

Textbook Our supply of milk has been entirely depleted.

Native We've run out of milk.

'Run out of' is the everyday phrase for having none left; 'supply has been depleted' is inventory-report English.

Pattern: run out of + noun

In use

  • We ran out of bread, so I need to go to the shop.daily life
  • During my trip, we ran out of money and had to be very careful with our spending.IELTS speaking

Common mistake

✗ We ran out milk.

✓ We ran out of milk.

'Run out OF' + the thing. ('We've run out' alone is fine if the thing is obvious.)

Common collocations

  • run out of + resource — time, money, milk, patience

Don't confuse it

Not the same as 'run out' (leave quickly); 'run out of' always means you have nothing left.

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