empty

[ emp-tee ]

/ ˈɛmp ti /

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See synonyms for: empty / emptied / emptying / emptily on Thesaurus.com

adjective, emp·ti·er, emp·ti·est.

containing nothing; having none of the usual or appropriate contents: an empty bottle.

vacant; unoccupied: an empty house.

without cargo or load: an empty wagon.

destitute of people or human activity: We walked along the empty streets of the city at night.

destitute of some quality or qualities; devoid (usually followed by of): Theirs is a life now empty of happiness.

without force, effect, or significance; hollow; meaningless: empty compliments; empty pleasures.

not employed in useful activity or work; idle: empty summer days.

Mathematics. (of a set) containing no elements; null; void.

hungry: I'm feeling rather empty—let's have lunch.

without knowledge or sense; frivolous; foolish: an empty head.

completely spent of emotion: The experience had left him with an empty heart.

verb (used with object), emp·tied, emp·ty·ing.

to make empty; deprive of contents; discharge the contents of: to empty a bucket.

to discharge (contents): to empty the water out of a bucket.

verb (used without object), emp·tied, emp·ty·ing.

to become empty: The room emptied rapidly after the lecture.

to discharge contents, as a river: The river empties into the sea.

noun, plural emp·ties.

Informal. something that is empty, as a box, bottle, or can: Throw the empties into the waste bin.

OTHER WORDS FOR empty

6 delusive, vacuous, vain.

12 unload, unburden.

See synonyms for empty on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR empty

1 full.

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IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

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Origin of empty

First recorded before 900; Middle English (with intrusive -p- ); Old English ǣm(et)tig “vacant,” from ǣm(et)ta “rest, leisure” (ǣ- a-³ + unattested Germanic mōtithō “accommodation”; cf. must¹, meet¹) + -ig -y¹)

synonym study for empty

1. Empty, vacant, blank, void denote absence of content or contents. Empty means without appropriate or accustomed contents: an empty refrigerator. Vacant is usually applied to that which is temporarily unoccupied: a vacant chair; three vacant apartments. Blank applies to surfaces free from any marks or lacking appropriate markings, openings, etc.: blank paper; a blank wall. Void emphasizes completely unfilled space with vague, unspecified, or no boundaries: void and without form.

OTHER WORDS FROM empty

emp·ti·a·ble, adjectiveemp·ti·er, nounemp·ti·ly, adverbemp·ti·ness, noun

o·ver·emp·ty, adjectivequasi-empty, adjectiveself-emp·ti·ness, nounself-emp·ty·ing, adjectiveun·emp·tied, adjectiveun·emp·ty, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use empty in a sentence

In the past few months, as the drums of violence have beaten, the hotels, bars, and restaurants of Beirut have become emptier.
Is Lebanon Unraveling?|Jamie Dettmer|July 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Leaders of La Familia claim the group will stop attending games, which they say will leave the bleachers much emptier.
Are Beitar Jerusalem's Racist Fans Ruining Israeli Soccer?|Orly Halpern|February 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Whether the stadium or the speech was emptier is the obvious question of the moment.
Michael Tomasky on Mitt Romney’s Tax-Plan Flim-Flam|Michael Tomasky|February 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I'd like to think the beaches and pools are a lot emptier for the day than they used to be.
The Changing Face of Arlington Cemetery|Joseph R. Chenelly|May 29, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Bare as the shop had looked when he first entered, he now saw it to be even emptier than he had thought.
Mrs. Vanderstein's jewels|Mrs. Charles Bryce
The streets grew emptier: lights appeared behind blinds in upper windows, and only an occasional step sounded on the pavements.
Dodo's Daughter|E. F. Benson
The further he drove upon his southwesterly course, the emptier were the well-known thoroughfares.
The Shadow of the Rope|E. W. Hornung
That keg, when Harry had tilted it to give those few swallows to the passenger, had sounded alarmingly emptier than before.
The Pike's Peak Rush|Edwin L. Sabin
The greater the number of hungry mouths, the emptier the stomachs, the more quickly would the "Class War" be precipitated.
The Pivot of Civilization|Margaret Sanger

British Dictionary definitions for empty

empty

/ (ˈɛmptɪ) /

adjective -tier or -tiest

containing nothing

without inhabitants; vacant or unoccupied

carrying no load, passengers, etc

without purpose, substance, or valuean empty life

insincere or trivialempty words

not expressive or vital; vacantshe has an empty look

informal hungry

(postpositive foll by of) devoid; destitutea life empty of happiness

informal drained of energy or emotionafter the violent argument he felt very empty

maths logic (of a set or class) containing no members

philosophy logic (of a name or description) having no reference

verb -ties, -tying or -tied

to make or become empty

(when intr, foll by into) to discharge (contents)

(tr often foll by of) to unburden or rid (oneself)to empty oneself of emotion

noun plural -ties

an empty container, esp a bottle

Derived forms of empty

emptiable, adjectiveemptier, nounemptily, adverbemptiness, noun

Word Origin for empty

Old English ǣmtig, from æmetta free time, from æ- without + -metta, from mōtan to be obliged to; see must 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with empty

empty

In addition to the idioms beginning with empty

empty calories
empty nest
empty suit

also see:

glass is half full (half empty)
running on empty

empty

OTHER WORDS FOR empty

OPPOSITES FOR empty

Origin of empty

synonym study for empty

OTHER WORDS FROM empty

Words related to empty

How to use empty in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for empty

Derived forms of empty

Word Origin for empty

Other Idioms and Phrases with empty