run out of steam
(redirected from he ran out of steam)run out of steam
To lose one's energy, motivation, or enthusiasm to continue doing something. After spending hours working on this project, I'm running out of steam—can we take a break?
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
run out of steam
Fig. to lose momentum and fail. Toward the end of the lecture, he seemed to run out of steam, leaving us with no summary or conclusion.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
run out of steam
1. If a process or activity runs out of steam, it becomes weaker, slower, or less active, and often stops completely. Note: The following expressions refer to the use of steam to provide power for a machine, especially a steam engine. The promised economic recovery seems to have run out of steam. The campaign had finally run out of steam.
2. If you run out of steam, you lose energy or enthusiasm for something. Note: The following expressions refer to the use of steam to provide power for a machine, especially a steam engine. I was working well earlier but I seem to have run out of steam now.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
run out of (or lose) steam
lose impetus or enthusiasm. informal 1992 Jeff Torrington Swing Hammer Swing! Eventually I ran out of steam and came to a halt.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
run out of ˈsteam
(informal) lose the energy, enthusiasm, etc. that you had before: His presidential campaign began well but ran out of steam after a couple of months.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
run out of steam, to
To become weary; to exhaust one’s energy. Although steam engines were a nineteenth-century invention, this term comes from the mid-twentieth century. Dick Francis used it in Slayride (1973): “When I’d run out of steam, they would begin to nod.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer