hollow

[ hol-oh ]

/ ˈhɒl oʊ /

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hollow ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, hol·low·er, hol·low·est.

having a space or cavity inside; not solid; empty: a hollow sphere.

having a depression or concavity: a hollow surface.

sunken, as the cheeks or eyes.

(of sound) not resonant; dull, muffled, or deep: a hollow voice.

without real or significant worth; meaningless: a hollow victory.

insincere or false: hollow compliments.

hungry; having an empty feeling: I feel absolutely hollow, so let's eat.

noun

an empty space within anything; a hole, depression, or cavity.

a valley: They took the sheep to graze in the hollow.

Foundry. a concavity connecting two surfaces otherwise intersecting at an obtuse angle.

verb (used with object)

to make hollow (often followed by out): to hollow out a log.

to form by making something hollow (often followed by out): to hollow a place in the sand; boats hollowed out of logs.

verb (used without object)

to become hollow.

adverb

in a hollow manner: The politician's accusations rang hollow.

Nearby words

holliger, hollingshead, hollister, holliston, hollo, hollow, hollow back, hollow bone, hollow leg, hollow newel, hollow sea

Idioms

beat all hollow, to surpass or outdo completely: His performance beat the others all hollow.Also beat hollow.

Origin of hollow

before 900; Middle English holw(e), holow, Old English holh a hollow place; akin to hole

SYNONYMS FOR hollow

5 vain, empty, futile, pointless.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hollow ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

hol·low·ly, adverbhol·low·ness, nounhalf-hol·low, adjectiveun·hol·low, adjective

un·hol·lowed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hollow

The young man weaves through clusters of bamboo and cuts a diagonal slash into a tree, positioning a hollow log at the end.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He pressed a hollow shell casing into my palm and leaned towards my ear, “I PICKED IT UP FROM THE BEDROOM!”
I Shot Bin Laden|Elliot Ackerman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Head of State was prescient, but hollow; I Think I Love My Wife was bland; and the documentary Good Hair was fascinating fun.
Oscar Season Kicks Off in Toronto: Channing Tatum, Kristen Stewart, and More Court Awards Glory|Marlow Stern|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The boy stops making noise, and there's a hollow absence of sound for few moments before the Iraqi soldiers start shouting again.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq|Nathan Bradley Bethea|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In the end, Hollow pulled out a withering attack that outpaced Budden both in speed and viciousness.
America’s Poets: Battle Rap Gets Real|Rich Goldstein|July 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is quite impossible for me to decide if, by digging straight down, I shall come to a hollow cell or to a solid wall.
The Mason-bees|J. Henri Fabre
It is said that the nest is sometimes built in the crevices of cliffs or in hollow trees.
Birds and Nature Vol. 11 No. 1 [January 1902]|Various
Beyond the hollow stretched a belt of upheaved ridges of brick-red sandstone.
The Trail of Conflict|Emilie Baker Loring
His cheeks are hollow and pale; he looks dejected, and yet fierce.
Nancy|Rhoda Broughton
The deformity presents a combination of the hollow foot—pes cavus—with pes calcaneus, and resembles that of a Chinese lady's foot.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities--Head--Neck. Sixth Edition.|Alexander Miles

British Dictionary definitions for hollow

hollow

/ (ˈhɒləʊ) /

adjective

having a hole, cavity, or space within; not solid

having a sunken area; concave

recessed or deeply sethollow cheeks

(of sounds) as if resounding in a hollow place

without substance or validity

hungry or empty

insincere; cynical

a hollow leg or hollow legs the capacity to eat or drink a lot without ill effects

adverb

beat someone hollow British informal to defeat someone thoroughly and convincingly

noun

a cavity, opening, or space in or within something

a depression or dip in the land

verb (often foll by out, usually when tr)

to make or become hollow

to form (a hole, cavity, etc) or (of a hole, etc) to be formed

Derived Forms

hollowly, adverbhollowness, noun

Word Origin for hollow

C12: from holu, inflected form of Old English holh cave; related to Old Norse holr, German hohl; see hole

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

Idioms and Phrases with hollow

hollow

see beat the pants off (hollow).