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⇱ empty - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

empty

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈɛmpti/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈɛmpti/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(emp′tē)

Inflections of 'empty' (n): npl: empties
Inflections of 'empty' (adj):
emptier
adj comparative
emptiest
adj superlative
Inflections of 'empty' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
empties
v 3rd person singular
emptying
v pres p
emptied
v past
emptied
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
emp•ty /ˈɛmpti/USA pronunciation   adj., -ti•er, -ti•est, v., -tied, -ty•ing, n., pl. -ties. 
adj. 
  1. containing nothing;
    without contents:an empty toy box.
  2. vacant;
    unoccupied;
    without people:a lonely, empty house.
  3. lacking force, effect, or significance;
    meaningless:empty promises.

v. 
  1. to (cause to) become empty: [no object]The lecture hall emptied.[~ + object]She emptied her glass.

n. [countable]
  1. Informal Termsan empty container:Glass empties can be recycled.
emp•ti•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
emp•ty  (emp′tē),USA pronunciation adj., -ti•er, -ti•est, v., -tied, -ty•ing, n., pl. -ties. 
adj. 
  1. containing nothing;
    having none of the usual or appropriate contents:an empty bottle.
  2. vacant;
    unoccupied:an empty house.
  3. without cargo or load:an empty wagon.
  4. destitute of people or human activity:We walked along the empty streets of the city at night.
  5. destitute of some quality or qualities;
    devoid (usually fol. by of ):Theirs is a life now empty of happiness.
  6. without force, effect, or significance;
    hollow;
    meaningless:empty compliments; empty pleasures.
  7. not employed in useful activity or work;
    idle:empty summer days.
  8. Mathematics(of a set) containing no elements;
    null;
    void.
  9. hungry:I'm feeling rather empty —let's have lunch.
  10. without knowledge or sense;
    frivolous;
    foolish:an empty head.
  11. completely spent of emotion:The experience had left him with an empty heart.

v.t. 
  1. to make empty;
    deprive of contents;
    discharge the contents of:to empty a bucket.
  2. to discharge (contents):to empty the water out of a bucket.

v.i. 
  1. to become empty:The room emptied rapidly after the lecture.
  2. to discharge contents, as a river:The river empties into the sea.

n. 
  1. Informal Termssomething that is empty, as a box, bottle, or can:Throw the empties into the waste bin.
  • bef. 900; Middle English (with intrusive -p-); Old English ǣmettig vacant (ǣmett(a) leisure (ǣ- a-3 + Gmc *mōtithō accommodation; compare must1, meet1) + -ig -y1)
emp′ti•a•ble, adj. 
emp′ti•er, n. 
emp′ti•ly, adv. 
emp′ti•ness, n. 
    1. vacuous. Empty, vacant, blank, void denote absence of content or contents. Empty means without appropriate or accustomed contents:an empty refrigerator.Vacant is usually applied to that which is temporarily unoccupied:a vacant chair; three vacant apartments.Blank applies to surfaces free from any marks or lacking appropriate markings, openings, etc.:blank paper; a blank wall.Void emphasizes completely unfilled space with vague, unspecified, or no boundaries:void and without form. 6. delusive, vain. 12. unload, unburden.
    1. full.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
empty /ˈɛmptɪ/ adj ( -tier, -tiest)
  1. containing nothing
  2. without inhabitants; vacant or unoccupied
  3. carrying no load, passengers, etc
  4. without purpose, substance, or value: an empty life
  5. insincere or trivial: empty words
  6. not expressive or vital; vacant: she has an empty look
  7. informal hungry
  8. (postpositive) followed by of: devoid; destitute: a life empty of happiness
  9. informal drained of energy or emotion: after the violent argument he felt very empty
  10. (of a set or class) containing no members
 vb ( -ties, -tying, -tied)
  1. to make or become empty
  2. when intr, followed by into: to discharge (contents)
  3. (transitive) often followed by of: to unburden or rid (oneself): to empty oneself of emotion
 n ( pl -ties)
  1. an empty container, esp a bottle
Etymology: Old English ǣmtig, from æmetta free time, from æ- without + -metta, from mōtan to be obliged to; see must1ˈemptiable adj ˈemptier n ˈemptily adv ˈemptiness n
'empty' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: [glass, plastic, carton] empties, empty the [bag, box, contents], an empty [glass, building, seat, pocket, stadium, bottle], more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "empty" in the title:

'Empty world of me' as a simile
'It' as preparatory/empty subject doubt
'Play before empty benches'
(an) empty exoskeleton
[things] [empty places] that shouldn't be allowed to exist
7 seats "of" the swing ride is empty
A bus came empty
A glass is halfway/half empty.
A life that looked more like an empty chalk outline of what it once had been.
a slack, empty expression
A traffic warden, finding an empty car
A vacant body empty enough for guests
a vacant/empty/unoccupied seat
amongst the ground-in crisps and empty cans
ampoules empty of freshness and vitality
an empty dirt lot giving way to fields
an empty e-mail inbox
an empty kerosene tin
an empty or two
an empty shirt of a man
an otherwise empty railway carriage
an/the empty stage
and Trumpkin was wringing his empty hand...
anticipatory it vs. empty it
any number of empty, permanently decaffeinated Starbucks
as much as it was kind of empty
As the towers empty
At the next empty telephone box
barehanded/with empty hands
battery empty / dead
more...

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