be out of gas

1. Literally, of a motor vehicle, to have no more gasoline in the tank. I wanted to take the car for my date with Susie Perkins, but it was out of gas! The kids took the car out last night, and, as usual, it's out of gas. Why is it so hard for them to go to a gas station? If someone wants to steal my car, they can go right ahead. Not only is it an old piece of junk, it's also out of gas!

2. To have no more gasoline for one's motor vehicle. We were about three miles outside of town when we realized we were out of gas. Make sure you fill up the tank before you take the boat out—you don't want to be out of gas in the middle of the ocean. I'm stopping now—I have no desire to be out of gas on the highway in the middle of the night.

3. By extension, to be completely exhausted, fatigued, or without energy or motivation. Let him make those big punches. They'll tire him out quickly, and he'll be out of gas by the fifth round. Progress on our project has really faltered lately. We've been working on it nonstop for weeks, and the whole team is just out of gas. After spending hours working on this presentation, I'm almost out of gas—can we take a break?