run on empty

English

Etymology

An allusion to a vehicle operating with the fuel gauge pointing to empty or near empty, likely to stop running in the very near future.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

run on empty (third-person singular simple present runs on empty, present participle running on empty, simple past ran on empty, past participle run on empty)

1. (idiomatic) To be losing enthusiasm or willingness; to lack motivation.

   Near-synonyms: run on fumes, run out of steam

   He has been running on empty for a while. It's likely the project will be canceled.

   • 2020 November 25, Katherine J. Wu, “Covid Combat Fatigue: ‘I Would Come Home With Tears in My Eyes’”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     Doctors and nurses on the front lines are running on empty, under increasing duress as the pandemic surges and hospitals are overrun with patients.