Topic: NEWSPAPERS, PUBLISHING

Explore NEWSPAPERS, PUBLISHING Topic

Language:	Old English
Origin:	æmettig

empty
1 adjective

emp‧ty1 S2 W2 See pronunciation table in "How to use dictionary" pages

comparative emptier, superlative emptiest

container

having nothing inside:

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an empty box

an empty bottle

an empty space behind the desk

The fuel tank's almost empty.

place

an empty place does not have any people in it:

I hate coming home to an empty house.

The hall was half-empty.

The streets were empty.

The building stood empty for several years.

not used

not being used by anyone:

I spotted an empty table in the corner.

He put his feet on an empty chair.

person/life

unhappy because nothing in your life seems interesting or important:

The divorce left him feeling empty and bitter.

Her life felt empty and meaningless.

empty words/gestures/promises etc

words etc that are not sincere, or have no effect:

His repeated promises to pay them back were just empty words.

do something on an empty stomach

to do something without having eaten any food first:

I can't work properly on an empty stomach.

empty nest

also

empty nest syndrome

a situation in which parents become sad because their children have grown up and moved out of their house

empty of something

not containing a particular type of thing, or not having a particular quality:

The beach was almost empty of people.

be running on empty

to continue doing something even though you no longer have supplies of something you need in order to do it properly:

With the country running on empty, the president has no hope of winning the election.

—emptily adverb