empty-handed
adjective
emp·ty-hand·ed
ˌem(p)-tē-ˈhan-dəd 
1
: having or bringing nothing
2
: having acquired or gained nothing
came back empty-handed
Examples of empty-handed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Keep this two-ingredient recipe in your back pocket, and you’ll never be caught empty-handed when everyone wakes up.
—
Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 5 Jan. 2025
But the Blue Jays have left each of these sweepstakes empty-handed.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025
Drummond wound up signing with the Sixers in free agency this past offseason, leaving the Bulls empty-handed.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
Here are 11 Fernando Valenzuela murals to visit in L.A.
🍾 Don’t show up empty-handed: Here are 10 bottles of California bubbly that will pop your top.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2024
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Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 5 Jan. 2025
But the Blue Jays have left each of these sweepstakes empty-handed.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025
Drummond wound up signing with the Sixers in free agency this past offseason, leaving the Bulls empty-handed.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
Here are 11 Fernando Valenzuela murals to visit in L.A.
🍾 Don’t show up empty-handed: Here are 10 bottles of California bubbly that will pop your top.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for empty-handed
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Cite this Entry
“Empty-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empty-handed. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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