26984 words

empty

11 definitions • 21 examples
1
not containing any things or people:

Examples:

an empty house/street
Shall I take the empty bottles for recycling?
The train was empty (= there were no passengers) by the time it reached London.
2
not sincere or without any real meaning:

Examples:

empty rhetoric She dismessed his apology as empty rhetoric
empty threat Too many empty threats and your child will soon learn to ignore you.
empty promise They're just empty promises.
3
without purpose or interest:

Examples:

He says his life has been completely empty since his wife died.
I felt empty, like a part of me had died.
4
to remove everything from inside something:

Examples:

I emptied the closet and put my belongings into the black overnight case.
empty (out) Would you mind emptying (out) your pockets?
empty something into something Empty the soup into a saucepan and simmer gently for ten minutes.
She quickly emptied her glass (= drank its contents) and ordered another drink.
5
to become empty:

Examples:

The place emptied pretty quickly when the fight started.
6
an empty bottle or other container, especially one that contained drink:

Examples:

Don't forget to recycle the empties.
7
having nothing inside:

Examples:

He set the empty glass down.
8
If a place is empty, no one is using it or is present:

Examples:

It was past midnight, and the streets were empty.
9
Empty also means without any meaning or purpose:

Examples:

We need jobs, not empty promises.
10
a container with nothing in it, esp. one whose contents have been used:

Examples:

Bring the empties to the recycling center.
11
to take out everything from inside something, or to lose what is inside so that nothing is left:

Examples:

[ T ] She emptied her husband’s mug in the sink.
[ I ] Once the movie ended, the theater emptied quickly.
[ I ] The Tombigbee River empties into Mobile Bay (= its water flows there).

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