empty the tank
Use everything up
Empty the tank means to use all of one's energy, effort, or resources in a single endeavor, holding nothing back.
The phrase comes from the image of a fuel tank being completely drained.
It appears most often in sports contexts, where athletes are urged to give everything they have: The coach told us to empty the tank in the fourth quarter.
Unlike similar expressions, it emphasizes total depletion rather than just maximum effort—there's an understanding that recovery time will be needed afterward.
- go all outCommit completely, withhold nothing
- go for brokeRisk all resources
- clear outLeave quickly, often urgently
- depleteGreatly reduce supply
- unloadRemove contents from
leave it all on the field · discharge · exhaust · pull out all the stops · balls to the wall · pedal to the metal · sprint finish · final push · finish strong · peak performance · burnout · decant · siphon · drain · evacuate · go the whole hog · fatigue · expel
- maximum effortall-out, full throttle, go all out, go hard, all in
- risk phrasestake a chance, take a gamble, risk it all, go for broke, roll the dice
empty the tankhold back
Prevent forward movement
phone it in · go through the motions · coast · take it easy · mail it in
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