"run on empty" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "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.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "runs on empty",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "running on empty",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "ran on empty",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "run on empty",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "run<,,ran,run> on empty"
      },
      "expansion": "run on empty (third-person singular simple present runs on empty, present participle running on empty, simple past ran on empty, past participle run on empty)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He has been running on empty for a while. It's likely the project will be canceled.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020 November 25, Katherine J. Wu, “Covid Combat Fatigue: ‘I Would Come Home With Tears in My Eyes’”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
          "text": "Doctors and nurses on the front lines are running on empty, under increasing duress as the pandemic surges and hospitals are overrun with patients.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To be losing enthusiasm or willingness; to lack motivation."
      ],
      "id": "en-run_on_empty-en-verb-afg6fAYk",
      "links": [
        [
          "enthusiasm",
          "enthusiasm"
        ],
        [
          "motivation",
          "motivation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To be losing enthusiasm or willingness; to lack motivation."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "run on fumes"
        },
        {
          "word": "run out of steam"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-run on empty.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3e/En-au-run_on_empty.ogg/En-au-run_on_empty.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/En-au-run_on_empty.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "run on empty"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "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.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "runs on empty",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "running on empty",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "ran on empty",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "run on empty",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "run<,,ran,run> on empty"
      },
      "expansion": "run on empty (third-person singular simple present runs on empty, present participle running on empty, simple past ran on empty, past participle run on empty)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "run on fumes"
    },
    {
      "word": "run out of steam"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He has been running on empty for a while. It's likely the project will be canceled.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020 November 25, Katherine J. Wu, “Covid Combat Fatigue: ‘I Would Come Home With Tears in My Eyes’”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
          "text": "Doctors and nurses on the front lines are running on empty, under increasing duress as the pandemic surges and hospitals are overrun with patients.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To be losing enthusiasm or willingness; to lack motivation."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "enthusiasm",
          "enthusiasm"
        ],
        [
          "motivation",
          "motivation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To be losing enthusiasm or willingness; to lack motivation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-run on empty.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3e/En-au-run_on_empty.ogg/En-au-run_on_empty.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/En-au-run_on_empty.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "run on empty"
}