Empty

//ˈɛmp.ti// adj, noun, verb

adj, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A container, especially a bottle, whose contents have been used up, leaving it empty. in-plural

    "Put the empties out to be recycled."

  2. 2
    a container that has been emptied wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To make empty; to remove the contents of. ergative, transitive

    "to empty a well or a cistern"

  2. 2
    excrete or discharge from the body wordnet
  3. 3
    Of a river, duct, etc: to drain or flow toward an ultimate destination. intransitive

    "Salmon River empties on the W shore about 2 miles below Bear River."

  4. 4
    become empty or void of its content wordnet
  5. 5
    make void or empty of contents wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    remove the contents of a container wordnet
  2. 7
    leave behind empty; move out of wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Devoid of content; containing nothing or nobody; vacant.

    "an empty purse"

  2. 2
    Containing no elements (as of a string, array, or set), opposed to being null (having no valid value).
  3. 3
    Free; clear; devoid; often with of. obsolete

    "And I ſhal finde you emptie of that fault, Right ioyfull of your reformation."

  4. 4
    Having nothing to carry, emptyhanded; unburdened.

    "I hope our Ladies treaſure and our owne, May ſerue for ranſome to our liberties: Returne our Mules and emptie Camels backe, That we may trauell into Siria, […]"

  5. 5
    Destitute of effect, sincerity, or sense; said of language.

    "empty words, or threats"

Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    Unable to satisfy; hollow; vain.

    "empty pleasures"

  2. 7
    Destitute of reality, or real existence; unsubstantial.

    "empty dreams"

  3. 8
    Destitute of, or lacking, sense, knowledge, or courtesy.

    "empty brains"

  4. 9
    Not pregnant; not producing offspring when expected to do so during the breeding season.

    "Empty cow rates have increased in recent years."

  5. 10
    Producing nothing; unfruitful. obsolete

    "an empty vine"

  6. 11
    Hungry.
  7. 12
    Lacking between the onset of tasting and the finish.

    "Grotesquely vegetal, excessively oaked, empty wines were routinely produced in the mid-1980s. Since the late 1980s, however, the quality has soared."

Adjective
  1. 1
    holding or containing nothing wordnet
  2. 2
    emptied of emotion wordnet
  3. 3
    needing nourishment wordnet
  4. 4
    devoid of significance or force wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
blankdrainedevacuateevacuateglassylifeless

Example

More examples

"My life would be completely empty without you."

Etymology

From Middle English emty, amty, from Old English ǣmtiġ, ǣmettiġ (“vacant, empty, free, idle, unmarried”, literally “without must or obligation, leisurely”), from Proto-Germanic *uz- (“out”) + Proto-Germanic *mōtijô, *mōtô (“must, obligation, need”), *mōtiþô (“ability, accommodation”), from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“measure; to acquire, possess, be in command”). Related to Old English ġeǣmtigian (“to empty”), ǣmetta (“leisure”), mōtan (“can, to be allowed”). More at mote, meet. The interconsonantal excrescent p is a euphonic insertion dating from Middle English.

Related phrases

come away emptyempty as a pauper's purseempty as the tomb on Easterempty barrels make the most noiseempty baseempty calorieempty cans make the most noiseempty canvasempty chairempty coaching stockempty constructorempty function

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.