idiom
Running on Empty
RUN-ing on EMP-tee
/ˈrʌnɪŋ ɒn ˈɛmptiː/Listen
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Syllable breakdown
runningonempty
Dictionary meaning
Continuing to function or push forward while exhausted and depleted of resources, motivation, or energy; operating past one's limit with nothing in reserve
History and origin
From the fuel gauge of a motor vehicle showing empty; popularised by Jackson Browne's 1977 album of the same name
Examples
- After six weeks of night shifts, the medical staff were running on empty but kept working.
- The campaign's finances were running on empty, relying entirely on small donations to survive the final week.
Synonyms: on fumes, tapped out, burnt out
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