Empty-handed

adj

adj ·4 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Alternative form of emptyhanded. alt-of, alternative

    "United looked on course to end the season empty-handed as well as missing out on Champions League football when substitute Jason Puncheon's powerful far-post finish put Palace ahead with 12 minutes left."

Adjective
  1. 1
    carrying nothing in the hands wordnet
  2. 2
    having acquired or gained nothing wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
bankruptbare handedbeggarlybrokebrokenclose to the bone

Example

More examples

"But more often than not, we came back empty-handed."

Related phrases

empty-handedlyempty-handedness

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