run on fumes

English · Thesaurus

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

run on fumes

verb runs on fumes · running on fumes · ran on fumes · run on fumes

To operate a vehicle that is low on fuel. We were running on fumes by the time we arrived, but we made it to the next gas station.
broadly, figuratively To operate with few resources, or be physically or emotionally overworked. Near-synonyms: run on empty, run out of steam
Similar: run on empty, run out of steam

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"run on fumes." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/run%20on%20fumes. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

run on fumes. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/run%20on%20fumes

Chicago

"run on fumes." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/run%20on%20fumes.

BibTeX

@misc{run_on_fumes_2026,
  title = {run on fumes},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/run%20on%20fumes},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}