empty-handed

Unfortunately, experts have looked everywhere from lagoons to abandoned silver mines and still come up empty-handed.
The Biggest Art Heist of WWII is Still Unsolved||October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In other words, the Hispanic Caucus emerged from the meeting empty-handed.
Obama and Latinos Are at the Breaking Point|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The mission was unsuccessful as he returned home “empty-handed.”
The Ominous Meaning of North Korea’s Missile Launches|Gordon G. Chang|February 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After intensive coverage on both, most reporters and partisan investigators came away empty-handed.
Changing the Subject Won't Work|Jamelle Bouie|January 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Coming up empty-handed for conservatives on both would have broader ramifications.
It's All on Boehner|Michael Tomasky|October 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
An hour passed, and it was growing dark when Weston scrambled up the hillside empty-handed.
The Gold Trail|Harold Bindloss
He knew that those Ducks would not come back again that night, and that once more he must go home empty-handed.
Blacky the Crow|Thornton W. Burgess
They all seemed to enjoy the interview, for they came out with smiling faces, and not empty-handed either.
The Story of the Big Front Door|Mary Finley Leonard
He always returned empty-handed, and Nannie watched with an impish smile from an upper window.
The Gentle Art of Cooking Wives|Elizabeth Strong Worthington
Frequently the hunters came home empty-handed or bringing only small game.
Four American Indians|Edson L. Whitney

British Dictionary definitions for empty-handed

empty-handed

adjective

carrying nothing in the hands

having gained nothingthey returned from the negotiations empty-handed

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

empty-handed

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British Dictionary definitions for empty-handed