empty the clip
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
To use up all of something, especially ammunition or resources.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
sử dụng hết một thứ gì đó, đặc biệt là đạn hoặc tài nguyên
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: fire all the bullets in a gun magazine
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The soldier emptied the clip trying to take out the target.
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “empty the clip” mean?
To use up all of something, especially ammunition or resources. Literally: fire all the bullets in a gun magazine
Is “empty the clip” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.