hollow

[hol-oh]

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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.

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

Related formshol·low·ly, adverbhol·low·ness, nounhalf-hol·low, adjectiveun·hol·low, adjectiveun·hol·lowed, adjective

Synonyms for hollow

5. vain, empty, futile, pointless.

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

Related Words for hollowing

muted, fruitless, worthless, futile, pointless, empty, useless, flimsy, cavern, sunken, depressed, void, vaulted, curved, cleft, notched, arched, dimpled, cupped, excavated

Examples from the Web for hollowing

Contemporary Examples of hollowing

Locals call it the hollowing out of the city into an empty theme park.
The Big Idea: How Tourism Can Destroy the Places We Love
Elizabeth Becker
July 5, 2013
Takeovers of foreign companies and government intervention in the markets have spooked investors, hollowing out key industries.
After the Presidential Election, a Tough Road for Hugo Chávez
Mac Margolis
October 9, 2012

Historical Examples of hollowing

He filled his hollowing cheek with finer things than moaning.
Adventures in the Arts
Marsden Hartley
Suddenly Queequeg started to his feet, hollowing his hand to his ear.
Moby Dick; or The Whale
Herman Melville
They then began to cross the plain with oxen, hollowing "haw."
Cowboy Songs
Various
I then thought of felling a tree and hollowing it out by charring the timber.
The Little Savage
Captain Frederick Marryat
So at length we come to the hollowing out and to the thicknesses of the belly.
Violin Making
Walter H. Mayson

British Dictionary definitions for hollowing

hollow

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 Formshollowly, 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

Word Origin and History for hollowing

hollow

adj.

c.1200, from Old English holh (n.) "hollow place, hole," from Proto-Germanic *hul-, from PIE *kel- "to cover, conceal" (see cell). The figurative sense of "insincere" is attested from 1520s. Related: Hollowly; hollowness. To carry it hollow "take it completely" is first recorded 1660s, of unknown origin or connection.

hollow

late 14c., holowen, from hollow (adj.). Related: Hollowed; hollowing.

hollow

"lowland, valley, basin," 1550s, probably a modern formation from hollow (adj.). Old English had holh (n.) "cave, den; internal cavity."

Idioms and Phrases with hollowing

hollow

see beat the pants off (hollow).