hollow

1 of 4

adjective

hol·​low ˈhä-(ˌ)lō 

hollower ˈhä-lə-wər  ; hollowest ˈhä-lə-wəst 

1

: having an indentation or inward curve : concave, sunken

hollow cheeks

2

: having an unfilled or hollowed-out space within

a hollow tree

3

: lacking in real value, sincerity, or substance : false, meaningless

hollow promises

a victory over a weakling is hollow and without triumph

—Ernest Beaglehole

4

: reverberating like a sound made in or by beating on a large empty enclosure : muffled

heard a hollow sound when he knocked on the wall

hollowly

ˈhä-lō-lē 

-lə-lē

adverb

hollowness noun

hollow

2 of 4

noun

plural hollows

1

: an unfilled space : cavity, hole

in the hollow of a tree

2

: a depressed or low part of a surface

especially : a small valley or basin

hollow

3 of 4

verb

hollowed; hollowing; hollows

transitive verb

1

: to remove the inside of : to make hollow (see hollow entry 1)

a hollowed tree

hollowing out pumpkins for Halloween

2

: to form by removing the inside of something : to form by making something hollow

—usually used with out

rain barrels hollowed out from trees

—Robert Shaplen

hollowing out a tunnel

intransitive verb

: to become hollow

his cheeks had hollowed

hollow

4 of 4

adverb

1

: so as to have a hollow (see hollow entry 1 sense 4) sound

The sound echoed hollow in the cave.

: in a way that reflects a lack of real value, sincerity, or substance

Their threats rang hollow.

2

: completely, thoroughly

—often used with all

"… Edward is always real glad to get some of the old farmhouse goodies. He says they beat city cooking all hollow, and so they do."

—Lucy Maud Montgomery

Synonyms

Adjective

• concave
• dented
• depressed
• dished
• indented
• recessed
• sunken

Noun

• cavity
• concavity
• dent
• depression
• dint
• hole
• indentation
• indenture
• pit
• recess

Choose the Right Synonym for hollow

vain, nugatory, otiose, idle, empty, hollow mean being without worth or significance.

vain implies either absolute or relative absence of value.

vain promises

nugatory suggests triviality or insignificance.

a monarch with nugatory powers

otiose suggests that something serves no purpose and is either an encumbrance or a superfluity.

a film without a single otiose scene

idle suggests being incapable of worthwhile use or effect.

idle speculations

empty and hollow suggest a deceiving lack of real substance or soundness or genuineness.

an empty attempt at reconciliation

a hollow victory

Examples of hollow in a Sentence

Adjective

There was a hollow spot in the field.

there's a noticeably hollow spot in the mattress where he has been sleeping

Noun

The owls nested in the hollow of a tree.

made a little hollow in her mound of mashed potatoes and filled it with gravy

Verb

They hollowed the log to make a canoe.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Unlike a snake, which injects venom through hollow fangs, the gila monster’s venom flows through large grooved lower teeth. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024

Though the knife handle is hollow, the rest of the pieces are nicely weighted, and Lenox offers a limited lifetime warranty against defects. —Emily Farris, Bon Appétit, 18 Oct. 2024

Noun

But there's a good chance every bite of the nation’s orange obsession has its origins in the same spot: Morton, a sleepy hollow outside Peoria, Illinois that touts itself as the pumpkin capital of the world. —John Riley, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2024

One hallmark of a Rooney protagonist, after all, is the kind of willful disappearance—into an affair, into BDSM, into friendship, or, indeed, into the hollows of one’s own body—that fat people are rarely afforded. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2024

Verb

Even without literally shutting the doors to the federal agency, there could be ways a Trump administration could hollow the DOE and do significant damage, Valant and Kettl said. —Ellen Ioanes, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

Deep shadows hollowed the space beneath his shoulder blades, and the full outline of each rib was visible under his skin. —Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 15 Aug. 2024

Adverb

That notion rings hollow to Nick Cady, legal director for Cascadia Wildlands, one of the environmental organizations that originally petitioned to protect fishers in Oregon in 2000. —oregonlive, 19 May 2020

But the Iranian government's tendency to point the finger at Washington, or other malicious foreign actors, for unrest at home is ringing hollow now. —Eliza MacKintosh, CNN, 13 Jan. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English holgh, holugh, holwe, formally identical with holgh hollow entry 2, with adjectival meaning apparently after hol, holle "hollow, sunken," going back to Old English hol — more at hole entry 1

Noun

Middle English holgh, holough "hole, burrow, hollow of the hand," going back to Old English holh "cavity, hole," going back to *hulha-, probably extended form of Germanic *hula- "hollow, sunken" — more at hole entry 1

Verb

Middle English holowghen, holowen, holwen, derivative of holgh, holwe hollow entry 1

Adverb

derivative of hollow entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adverb

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing hollow

• have a hollow ring
• hollow out
• in the hollow of one's hand
• ring hollow

Kids Definition

hollow

1 of 2 noun

hol·​low ˈhäl-ō 

1

: an empty space within something : hole

2

: a low spot in a surface

especially : valley

hollow

2 of 2 adjective

1

: curved inward : sunken

hollow cheeks

2

: having a hole inside : not solid throughout

hollow tree

3

: lacking value, sincerity, or meaning

hollow victory

hollow promises

4

: being like a sound made in or by beating on a large empty enclosure : muffled

a hollow roar

hollow verb

hollowly

ˈhäl-ō-lē 

-ə-lē

adverb

hollowness noun

Medical Definition

hollow

noun

hol·​low ˈhäl-(ˌ)ō, -ə(-w) 

: a depressed part of a surface or a concavity

the hollow at the back of the knee