Meaning & use
hollow tree
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Meaning
nouncountable
A tree whose trunk has an empty space inside, often made by rot or by animals.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a hollow tree' or 'several hollow trees.'
Patterns
- a hollow tree
- the hollow tree
The owl nested in a hollow tree near the edge of the field.
We found a hollow tree and looked inside, but it was too dark to see anything.
Old hollow trees provide shelter for many kinds of birds and insects.
Word forms
| plural | hollow trees |
|---|
Common combinations
- a hollow tree trunk
- The children hid inside the hollow tree trunk.
- an old hollow tree
- An old hollow tree stood at the bottom of the garden.
- live in a hollow tree
- Bats often live in a hollow tree during the day.
- nest in a hollow tree
- Some ducks nest in a hollow tree rather than on the ground.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tree cavity
- More technical; it refers to the empty space itself, not the whole tree.
- dead tree
- Focuses on the tree being dead, while a hollow tree may still be alive.
Commonly confused: hollow tree or hollow log?
hollow tree vs hollow log
A hollow log is a piece of a fallen tree, not a standing tree.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hollow tree' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Hollow tree' is a countable noun phrase and needs an article: 'a hollow tree.' Option 1 confuses the spelling with 'three,' option 2 is missing the article, and option 3 uses a possessive form that does not fit here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hollow tree”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.