run out of battery

Meaning

This expression means that a device's battery has completely discharged or is about to lose all its power. It is a very common, everyday phrase used for phones, laptops, cameras, and other portable electronics.

Examples

• My phone is about to run out of battery, so I need to hang up.

  My phone is about to run out of battery, so I need to hang up.

• The camera ran out of battery right in the middle of the ceremony.

  The camera ran out of battery right in the middle of the ceremony.

• I hate when my wireless headphones run out of battery during a workout.

  I hate when my wireless headphones run out of battery during a workout.

• If your laptop runs out of battery, you can use my charger.

  If your laptop runs out of battery, you can use my charger.

• We couldn't take any photos because both our phones had run out of battery.

  We couldn't take any photos because both our phones had run out of battery.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ My phone is finished of battery.

  ✓ My phone has run out of battery.

  Learners often use 'finish' or 'empty' to describe a dead battery, but native speakers almost always say 'run out of battery' or 'die'.

• ✗ I ran out battery on my laptop.

  ✓ I ran out of battery on my laptop.

  Do not forget the preposition 'of' after 'run out'. It is a three-part phrasal verb.

Related Expressions

Practice

• I can't call an Uber because my phone is about to ___.

  💡 Lose all power.

  Show answer

  run out of battery

• My laptop ___ during the Zoom meeting.

  💡 Past tense of losing power.

  Show answer

  ran out of battery