had run out

USAGE SUMMARY

"had run out" is a correct and usable part of a sentence in written English.
It is the past perfect tense form of the verb phrase "run out," which means to have no more or be exhausted. You can use it in a sentence to describe a past event that happened before another past event. Example: Jane had run out of money before she realized she needed to buy groceries.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

The stock had run out long ago.

The New York Times - Sports

Her buprenorphine supply had run out and withdrawal had begun.

The New York Times - Health

Time had run out for Irfan Naseer.

BBC

"He thought time had run out, but you never know.

Los Angeles Times

Food had run out for millions of Chinese civilians. .

Huffington Post

I had run out.

The New Yorker

Nick's lease had run out.

The New Yorker

The magic had run out.

The New York Times - Sports

Sontag had run out of aesthetic revolutions.

The New Yorker

His, he said, had run out.

The New Yorker

She had run out of time".

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider replacing "had run out" with alternatives like "had been depleted" or "had exhausted" to vary your writing style and provide a more nuanced description of the situation.

Common error

Avoid using "had run out" when referring to a present situation. The past perfect tense indicates that something was completed before another point in the past. Using "has run out" or "is running out" would be more appropriate for present scenarios.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had run out" functions as a past perfect verb phrase. It indicates that an action (running out) was completed before another point in the past. Ludwig confirms that this phrase is grammatically sound and widely used in English.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

98%

Science

1%

Formal & Business

0.5%

Less common in

Wiki

0.3%

Encyclopedias

0.1%

Reference

0.1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "had run out" is a past perfect verb phrase used to indicate the depletion or exhaustion of something before a specific time in the past. According to Ludwig, the phrase is grammatically correct and widely used, especially in News & Media. When writing, ensure you're using the correct tense to accurately describe past events and their sequence. Consider alternatives like "had been depleted" or "was all gone" for stylistic variation. Be mindful of using "had run out" to describe present situations; "has run out" or "is running out" are more suitable in those cases.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had no more left

Directly states that there is nothing remaining.

was completely out of

Expresses that there are none left of something.

had been depleted

Focuses on the process of reduction until there's nothing left.

had been exhausted

Emphasizes complete consumption or use to the point of emptiness.

was all gone

Simple way to express that something is completely finished.

had come to an end

Highlights the termination or conclusion of something.

had reached its limit

Indicates that a maximum capacity or boundary has been achieved.

had finished up

Implies everything has been used, consumed, or completed.

had dried up

Suggests a source has completely vanished or become unavailable.

had played out

Describes a situation where options or resources have been fully utilized.

FAQs

How can I use "had run out" in a sentence?

Use "had run out" to describe a situation where something was completely used up or exhausted before another event in the past. For example, "She "had run out" of patience before the meeting even started".

What's a simpler way to say "had run out"?

You can use phrases like "was all gone" or "had no more left" as simpler alternatives to ""had run out"", depending on the specific context.

Is it correct to say "have run out" instead of "had run out"?

"Have run out" is present perfect, while ""had run out"" is past perfect. Use "have run out" for situations relevant to the present, and "had run out" for situations completed in the past before another past event.

Which is correct, "had run out of" or "had ran out of"?

"Had run out of" is the correct form. "Run" is an irregular verb, and its past participle is "run", not "ran". Thus, ""had run out"" is the grammatically correct past perfect tense.