run on empty

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English

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Etymology

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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

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Verb

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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.
    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[1], →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.

See also

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