empty
Verbempties, emptying, emptied
Formsempties, emptying, emptied
Pluralempties
- 1
- 2
- 3Without meaning or real happiness, or feeling hollow inside, as if something is missing.
Like eating candy when you're really hungry: it doesn't fill you up.
After the party ended, she felt empty and alone.
Winning felt strangely empty once he had no one to tell.
UsageOften feel empty.
Similarhollow, meaningless, unsatisfying, unfulfilled
Oppositesatisfying, fulfilling, meaningful
- 4
- 5Carrying nothing, with nothing in your hands.
Like coming home with no shopping bags after a trip to the store.
The truck dropped off its load and drove back empty.
The donkeys carried food up the hill and came back empty.
UsageOften come back empty.
Similarunladen, unburdened
Note
- 6Without real meaning, effect or honest feeling, like empty words or empty promises.
Like a gift box with a bow but nothing inside.
His promise turned out to be empty, and nothing ever changed.
Stop making empty threats that you won't act on.
UsageOften used with threats or gestures: empty threats.
Similarhollow, meaningless, insincere, vacuous, idle
Oppositesincere, meaningful, genuine, heartfelt
- 7
- 8In computing, describes a list, set or string that holds no items but still exists.
Like a box that is there but has nothing inside, not a box that is missing.
The program checks whether the list is empty before adding new names.
When your search finds nothing, the app gets back an empty list of results.
Note
Less common meanings
- 9A bottle or container that has been used up and now holds nothing.
Like a juice box you've finished drinking.
He stacked the empties by the back door for recycling.
She returned each empty to the store for the deposit.
Note
- 10
- 11Giving no crops, fruit or results.
Note
- 12Of a female animal like a cow or sheep, not pregnant when it was expected to be.
- 13Of wine, having no real taste in the middle, between the first sip and the aftertaste.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
From Old English ǣmtiġ, meaning "vacant, free, idle," literally "without obligation, leisurely." The 'p' began to appear in late Old English, added to make the word easier to say, and became usual in Middle English.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 6 facts
- Empty descends from Old English ǣmtiġ. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English ǣmtiġ meant vacant, free and idle. en.wiktionary.org
- Its literal etymological meaning was without obligation or leisurely. en.wiktionary.org
- The p began appearing in late Old English. researchgate.net
- The p arose as a pronunciation-related insertion. en.wiktionary.org
- Forms with p became more common than forms without p during Middle English. researchgate.net