empty-handed
Americanadjective
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having nothing in the hands, as in doing no work.
While we were carrying out the luggage, he stood by empty-handed.
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having gained nothing.
to return from a quest empty-handed.
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bringing no gift, donation, etc..
They came to the birthday party empty-handed.
adjective
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carrying nothing in the hands
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having gained nothing
they returned from the negotiations empty-handed
Etymology
Origin of empty-handed
First recorded in 1605–15
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Having beaten Australia and Japan in their first two games, Ireland will leave Auckland empty-handed after their fourth successive loss to New Zealand and must wait until November to atone for a sloppy first-half performance.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The VA says it’s already tested that course and came up empty-handed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
But Mercedes’s friend Anna Kristovich, 16, left the store empty-handed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos, walked out of his office empty-handed.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026
Mr. Grote has returned from the woods empty-handed for the past three days, and we’re subsisting on eggs and potatoes.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
