Meaning & use
hollow
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Having an empty space inside, not solid all the way through.
Grammar: Can come before or after a noun: a hollow tree, the log is hollow.
Patterns
- hollow inside
The hollow tree was home to a family of owls.
He tapped the wall and it sounded hollow.
The toy is hollow, so it is very light.
adjectivecomparablefigurativedisapproving
Lacking real feeling, truth or value, even if it seems impressive.
Grammar: Used figuratively, often with words like promise, victory or laugh.
Patterns
- a hollow promise
- a hollow victory
His promises sounded hollow after so many broken ones.
Winning by cheating felt like a hollow victory.
She gave a hollow laugh.
adjectivecomparable
Sunken or deeply curved inward, as cheeks or eyes; or making a low, empty echo.
Grammar: Used about faces and sounds: hollow cheeks, a hollow sound.
Patterns
- hollow cheeks
- a hollow sound
Illness had left his cheeks hollow.
A hollow thud echoed through the empty hall.
nouncountable
A small hole, sunken area or low valley in the ground or in an object.
Grammar: Has a plural: hollows between the hills.
Patterns
- a hollow in something
The deer slept in a grassy hollow.
She rested her chin in the hollow of her hand.
Rain collected in the hollows of the rock.
verbtransitive
To make something empty on the inside by taking out its contents.
Grammar: Often used with out: hollow out a pumpkin.
Patterns
- hollow something out
We hollowed out the pumpkin for Halloween.
Time had hollowed the stone steps into shallow dips.
He hollowed a bowl from the log.
Word forms
| comparative | hollower |
|---|---|
| superlative | hollowest |
| plural | hollows |
| third person singular | hollows |
| past tense | hollowed |
| -ing form | hollowing |
Common combinations
- hollow out
- Hollow out the squash and fill it with rice.
- a hollow promise
- The mayor's promise was hollow.
- hollow victory
- Their win felt like a hollow victory.
- hollow laugh
- He gave a hollow laugh.
- hollow log
- Squirrels nested in a hollow log.
- hollow ring
- His words had a hollow ring.
Synonyms and how they differ
- empty
- Empty means holding nothing, whereas hollow means there is an empty space within a solid shape.
- insincere
- Insincere is only about false feelings, while hollow can also mean worthless or empty.
- sunken
- Sunken describes cheeks or eyes that curve inward, while hollow can also be a sound or a feeling.
- vacant
- Vacant means unoccupied, such as a vacant seat, not empty inside.
Opposites
Word family
- hollowly adverb
- in a way that sounds empty or false
- hollowness noun
- the state of being empty inside
- hollowed-out adjective
- made empty inside
- hollow-eyed adjective
- with sunken, tired eyes
Commonly confused: hollow or hallow? hollow or holy?
hollow vs hallow
Hallow means to make holy. It sounds like hollow in some accents but is rare and religious.
hollow vs holy
Holy means sacred, and is not connected to emptiness.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hollow' to mean insincere or worthless?
Choose one answer.
A hollow apology is one that lacks real sincerity. The other sentences use hollow for a physical empty space.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hollow”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.