run on empty
verbEtymology An allusion to a vehicle operating with the fuel gauge pointing to empty or near empty, likely to stop running in the very near future.
1
Idiomatic To be losing enthusiasm or willingness; to lack motivation.
- Near-synonyms: run on fumes, run out of steam
- He has been running on empty for a while. It's likely the project will be canceled.
1 more example
- Doctors and nurses on the front lines are running on empty, under increasing duress as the pandemic surges and hospitals are overrun with patients.2020 November 25, Katherine J. Wu, “Covid Combat Fatigue: ‘I Would Come Home With Tears in My Eyes’”, in The New York Times, →ISSN: