hollow

[hol-oh] /ˈhɒl oʊ/
adjective, hollower, hollowest.
1.
having a space or cavity inside; not solid; empty:
a hollow sphere.
2.
having a depression or concavity:
a hollow surface.
3.
sunken, as the cheeks or eyes.
4.
(of sound) not resonant; dull, muffled, or deep:
a hollow voice.
5.
without real or significant worth; meaningless:
a hollow victory.
6.
insincere or false:
hollow compliments.
7.
hungry; having an empty feeling:
I feel absolutely hollow, so let's eat.
noun
8.
an empty space within anything; a hole, depression, or cavity.
9.
a valley:
They took the sheep to graze in the hollow.
10.
Foundry. a concavity connecting two surfaces otherwise intersecting at an obtuse angle.
verb (used with object)
11.
to make hollow (often followed by out):
to hollow out a log.
12.
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)
13.
to become hollow.
adverb
14.
in a hollow manner:
The politician's accusations rang hollow.
Idioms
15.
beat all hollow, to surpass or outdo completely:
His performance beat the others all hollow.
Also, beat hollow.
Origin
before 900; Middle English holw(e), holow, Old English holh a hollow place; akin to hole
Related forms
hollowly, adverb
hollowness, noun
half-hollow, adjective
unhollow, adjective
unhollowed, adjective
Synonyms
5. vain, empty, futile, pointless.
Examples from the web for hollow
  • Loudest of all is the sound of my own breathing, hollow and detached in the snorkel.
  • It had a large hollow space in its lower jaws, which may have been stored with fat that could have conducted sound to its ears.
  • To create your own instant workspace anywhere, put a flat birch hollow-core door atop two adjustable sawhorses.
  • Vaux's swifts originally roosted and nested not in chimneys but in the hollow trunks and branches of old or dead trees.
  • The drill has teeth around the leading edge and a hollow center.
  • The drill bit is a set of teeth around the leading edge of a hollow pipe.
  • They lower a hollow drill from a miniature derrick into lake bottoms to gather three-foot-long plugs of sediment.
  • hollow, echoing sounds reflect the underlying menace that's present.
  • hollow filaments may have dissipated heat, much as the frills of some modern lizards do today.
  • Debt forgiveness, even if it came, wouldn't relieve the misery of finding out that these were hollow promises.
British Dictionary definitions for hollow

hollow

/ˈhɒləʊ/
adjective
1.
having a hole, cavity, or space within; not solid
2.
having a sunken area; concave
3.
recessed or deeply set: hollow cheeks
4.
(of sounds) as if resounding in a hollow place
5.
without substance or validity
6.
hungry or empty
7.
insincere; cynical
8.
a hollow leg, hollow legs, the capacity to eat or drink a lot without ill effects
adverb
9.
(Brit, informal) beat someone hollow, to defeat someone thoroughly and convincingly
noun
10.
a cavity, opening, or space in or within something
11.
a depression or dip in the land
verb often foll by out, usually when tr
12.
to make or become hollow
13.
to form (a hole, cavity, etc) or (of a hole, etc) to be formed
Derived Forms
hollowly, adverb
hollowness, noun
Word Origin
C12: from holu, inflected form of Old English holh cave; related to Old Norse holr, German hohl; see hole
Word Origin and History for 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.

v.

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

n.

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

Slang definitions & phrases for hollow

hollow

Related Terms

beat all hollow


Idioms and Phrases with hollow

hollow

see: beat the pants off (hollow)