Word.ws English Dictionary

runs on fumes

runs on fumes is the third-person singular simple present indicative of run on fumes.

Meaning of run on fumes

Verb

run on fumes (third-person singular simple present runs on fumes, present participle running on fumes, simple past ran on fumes, past participle run on fumes)

  1. 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.
  2. (broadly, figuratively) To operate with few resources, or be physically or emotionally overworked.
    • Near-synonyms: run on empty, run out of steam

Questions about runs on fumes

What is runs on fumes the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Runs on fumes is the third-person singular simple present indicative of run on fumes.

Words near runs on fumes in the dictionary

  1. runs off one's mouth
  2. runs off the tongue
  3. runs off with
  4. runs on
  5. runs on empty
  6. runs on fumes
  7. runs on the bank
  8. runs on the banks
  9. runs one on
  10. runs one's face
  11. runs one's mouth

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: runs on fumes (page history and authors); run on fumes (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “runs on fumes.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/runs_on_fumes. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.