EMPTY (emptied, emptier, emptiest)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does empty mean? 

• EMPTY (noun)
  The noun EMPTY has 1 sense:

1. a container that has been emptied

  Familiarity information: EMPTY used as a noun is very rare.

• EMPTY (adjective)
  The adjective EMPTY has 4 senses:

1. holding or containing nothing

2. devoid of significance or force

3. needing nourishment

4. emptied of emotion

  Familiarity information: EMPTY used as an adjective is uncommon.

• EMPTY (verb)
  The verb EMPTY has 5 senses:

1. make void or empty of contents

2. become empty or void of its content

3. leave behind empty; move out of

4. remove

5. excrete or discharge from the body

  Familiarity information: EMPTY used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• EMPTY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A container that has been emptied

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

return all empties to the store

Hypernyms ("empty" is a kind of...):

container (any object that can be used to hold things (especially a large metal boxlike object of standardized dimensions that can be loaded from one form of transport to another))

Derivation:

empty (become empty or void of its content)

empty (make void or empty of contents)

empty (remove)

• EMPTY (adjective)

Declension: comparative and superlative

Sense 1

Meaning:

Holding or containing nothing

Context example:

empty hours

Similar:

void (containing nothing)

bare; stripped (having everything extraneous removed including contents)

vacuous (devoid of matter)

vacant (void of intelligence or thought)

vacant (without an occupant or incumbent)

looted; pillaged; plundered; ransacked (wrongfully emptied or stripped of anything of value)

lifeless (destitute or having been emptied of life or living beings)

glassy; glazed ((used of eyes) lacking liveliness)

empty-handed (carrying nothing in the hands)

blank; clean; white ((of a surface) not written or printed on)

Attribute:

fullness (the condition of being filled to capacity)

Antonym:

full (containing as much or as many as is possible or normal)

Derivation:

emptiness (the state of containing nothing)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Devoid of significance or force

Synonyms:

empty; hollow; vacuous

Context example:

vacuous comments

Similar:

meaningless; nonmeaningful (having no meaning or direction or purpose)

Derivation:

emptiness (the quality of being valueless or futile)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Needing nourishment

Synonyms:

empty; empty-bellied

Context example:

empty-bellied children

Similar:

hungry (feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food)

Derivation:

emptiness (having an empty stomach)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Emptied of emotion

Context example:

after the violent argument he felt empty

Similar:

drained (emptied or exhausted of (as by drawing off e.g. water or other liquid))

Derivation:

emptiness (the state of containing nothing)

• EMPTY (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make void or empty of contents

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

The alarm emptied the building

Hypernyms (to "empty" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Cause:

discharge; empty (become empty or void of its content)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "empty"):

void (clear (a room, house, place) of occupants or empty or clear (a place or receptacle) of something)

gut (empty completely; destroy the inside of)

core out; hollow; hollow out (remove the interior of)

drain (empty of liquid; drain the liquid from)

knock out (empty (as of tobacco) by knocking out)

exhaust (use up the whole supply of)

clear (rid of instructions or data)

clear (remove the occupants of)

eviscerate (remove the contents of)

evacuate (create a vacuum in (a bulb, flask, reaction vessel))

evacuate (empty completely)

bleed (drain of liquid or steam)

clean out; clear out (empty completely)

bail (empty (a vessel) by bailing)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They empty the sink of water

Antonym:

fill (make full, also in a metaphorical sense)

Derivation:

empty (a container that has been emptied)

emptying (the act of removing the contents of something)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Become empty or void of its content

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

discharge; empty

Context example:

The room emptied

Hypernyms (to "empty" is one way to...):

change state; turn (undergo a transformation or a change of position or action)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "empty"):

flow away; flow off (flow off or away gradually)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Antonym:

fill (become full)

Derivation:

empty (a container that has been emptied)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Leave behind empty; move out of

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

abandon; empty; vacate

Context example:

You must vacate your office by tonight

Hypernyms (to "empty" is one way to...):

go away; go forth; leave (go away from a place)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Remove

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

Empty the water

Hypernyms (to "empty" is one way to...):

remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "empty"):

offload; unlade; unload (remove the load from (a container or vehicle))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Sentence example:

They empty the water from the sink

Derivation:

empty (a container that has been emptied)

emptying (the act of removing the contents of something)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Excrete or discharge from the body

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

empty; evacuate; void

Hypernyms (to "empty" is one way to...):

egest; eliminate; excrete; pass (eliminate from the body)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "empty"):

suction (empty or clean (a body cavity) by the force of suction)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

On the table lay two glasses, and empty brandy-bottle, and the remains of a meal.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Then he plodded down the road himself, to the water tank, where half a dozen empties lay on a side-track waiting for the up freight.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

This morning Godfrey’s room was empty, his bed had never been slept in, and his things were all just as I had seen them the night before.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

During the cat’s absence the mouse cleaned the house, and put it in order, but the greedy cat entirely emptied the pot of fat.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

So the Wizard unfastened his head and emptied out the straw.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

Removing the wads from the latter with my knife, I emptied the powder on a flat rock.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Mechanically he reached for the empty gun, drew a bead, and pulled the trigger.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

And so it is we find this coffin empty.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

If we feel for the wretched, enough to do all we can for them, the rest is empty sympathy, only distressing to ourselves.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

Together we rushed into the room. It was empty.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)