Meaning & use
hollowing out
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Meanings
noununcountable
The gradual disappearance of the middle or core of something, especially jobs, industries, or institutions, leaving only extremes or an empty shell.
Grammar: Used as a singular noun, often followed by 'of': the hollowing out of the middle class.
Patterns
- the hollowing out of something
- economic hollowing out
- corporate hollowing out
The hollowing out of manufacturing jobs has hit small towns hard.
Critics warn of a hollowing out of local democracy as power moves to the capital.
The report describes the hollowing out of the retail sector over the past decade.
noununcountable
The process of making an organization or system weaker by removing its most important parts or people.
Grammar: Often used with 'of' to show what is being hollowed out.
Patterns
- the hollowing out of an organization
- a hollowing out of skills
The company's hollowing out began when it outsourced its entire IT department.
There has been a hollowing out of expertise in the civil service due to budget cuts.
Common combinations
- hollowing out of the middle class
- Economists debate the causes of the hollowing out of the middle class.
- economic hollowing out
- The region suffered severe economic hollowing out after the factories closed.
- hollowing out of jobs
- The hollowing out of jobs in the auto industry left many workers unemployed.
- corporate hollowing out
- Corporate hollowing out often means fewer permanent staff and more contractors.
- the hollowing out of institutions
- The hollowing out of institutions weakens public trust.
Synonyms and how they differ
- erosion
- Erosion suggests a gradual wearing away, often by natural forces; hollowing out emphasizes the removal of the center, leaving emptiness.
- decline
- Decline is a general word for becoming less or worse; hollowing out is more specific and vivid, often used for economic or organizational structures.
- depletion
- Depletion means using up resources until little is left; hollowing out focuses on the loss of the middle or core, not just running out.
Opposites
Word family
- hollow out phrasal verb
- To remove the inside of something, or to make an organization weaker by removing its core.
- hollow adjective
- Having an empty space inside; without real value or sincerity.
Commonly confused: hollowing out or hollow?
hollowing out vs hollow
As an adjective, 'hollow' means empty inside or meaningless; 'hollowing out' is the process of becoming hollow or losing the core.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hollowing out' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option B is correct because 'hollowing out' refers to the removal of the core of an organization, leaving it weaker. Option A uses the literal meaning of 'hollow out' (to remove the inside of an object), which is not the phrasal noun. Option C is not a standard use. Option D is nonsensical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hollowing out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.