What does "empty" mean?
A container, especially a bottle, whose contents have been used up, leaving it empty.
Empty
/ˈɛmp.ti/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A container, especially a bottle, whose contents have been used up, leaving it empty.
- Grammar: empty is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: hollow, abandon, abandoned, abandoned house.
- Useful contrasts: cramful, cramfull, fraught.
- Usage evidence: My life would be completely empty without you.
How to use "empty"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "empty" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "empty" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "empty" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "empty" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "empty" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hollow" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "empty", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 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 a container that has been emptied wordnet
Verb
- 1 To make empty; to remove the contents of. ergative, transitive
"to empty a well or a cistern"
- 2 excrete or discharge from the body wordnet
- 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 become empty or void of its content wordnet
- 5 make void or empty of contents wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 remove the contents of a container wordnet
- 7 leave behind empty; move out of wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Devoid of content; containing nothing or nobody; vacant.
"an empty purse"
- 2 Containing no elements (as of a string, array, or set), opposed to being null (having no valid value).
- 3 Free; clear; devoid; often with of. obsolete
"And I ſhal finde you emptie of that fault, Right ioyfull of your reformation."
- 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 Destitute of effect, sincerity, or sense; said of language.
"empty words, or threats"
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 Unable to satisfy; hollow; vain.
"empty pleasures"
- 7 Destitute of reality, or real existence; unsubstantial.
"empty dreams"
- 8 Destitute of, or lacking, sense, knowledge, or courtesy.
"empty brains"
- 9 Not pregnant; not producing offspring when expected to do so during the breeding season.
"Empty cow rates have increased in recent years."
- 10 Producing nothing; unfruitful. obsolete
"an empty vine"
- 11 Hungry.
- 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 holding or containing nothing wordnet
- 2 emptied of emotion wordnet
- 3 needing nourishment wordnet
- 4 devoid of significance or force wordnet
Example
"My life would be completely empty without you."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "empty"?
Common synonyms include: hollow, abandon, abandoned, abandoned house, absurd, aimless.
How do you use "empty" in a sentence?
My life would be completely empty without you.
How do you pronounce "empty"?
Pronounced /ˈɛmp.ti/.
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.