empty

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈɛmpti/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈɛmpti/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(emp′tē)

Inflections of 'empty' (n): npl: empties
Inflections of 'empty' (adj):
emptier
adj comparative
emptiest
adj superlative
Inflections of 'empty' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
empties
v 3rd person singular
emptying
v pres p
emptied
v past
emptied
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
emp•ty /ˈɛmpti/USA pronunciation   adj., -ti•er, -ti•est, v., -tied, -ty•ing, n., pl. -ties. 
adj. 
  1. containing nothing;
    without contents:an empty toy box.
  2. vacant;
    unoccupied;
    without people:a lonely, empty house.
  3. lacking force, effect, or significance;
    meaningless:empty promises.

v. 
  1. to (cause to) become empty: [no object]The lecture hall emptied.[~ + object]She emptied her glass.

n. [countable]
  1. Informal Termsan empty container:Glass empties can be recycled.
emp•ti•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
emp•ty  (emp′tē),USA pronunciation adj., -ti•er, -ti•est, v., -tied, -ty•ing, n., pl. -ties. 
adj. 
  1. containing nothing;
    having none of the usual or appropriate contents:an empty bottle.
  2. vacant;
    unoccupied:an empty house.
  3. without cargo or load:an empty wagon.
  4. destitute of people or human activity:We walked along the empty streets of the city at night.
  5. destitute of some quality or qualities;
    devoid (usually fol. by of ):Theirs is a life now empty of happiness.
  6. without force, effect, or significance;
    hollow;
    meaningless:empty compliments; empty pleasures.
  7. not employed in useful activity or work;
    idle:empty summer days.
  8. Mathematics(of a set) containing no elements;
    null;
    void.
  9. hungry:I'm feeling rather empty —let's have lunch.
  10. without knowledge or sense;
    frivolous;
    foolish:an empty head.
  11. completely spent of emotion:The experience had left him with an empty heart.

v.t. 
  1. to make empty;
    deprive of contents;
    discharge the contents of:to empty a bucket.
  2. to discharge (contents):to empty the water out of a bucket.

v.i. 
  1. to become empty:The room emptied rapidly after the lecture.
  2. to discharge contents, as a river:The river empties into the sea.

n. 
  1. Informal Termssomething that is empty, as a box, bottle, or can:Throw the empties into the waste bin.
  • bef. 900; Middle English (with intrusive -p-); Old English ǣmettig vacant (ǣmett(a) leisure (ǣ- a-3 + Gmc *mōtithō accommodation; compare must1, meet1) + -ig -y1)
emp′ti•a•ble, adj. 
emp′ti•er, n. 
emp′ti•ly, adv. 
emp′ti•ness, n. 
    1. vacuous. Empty, vacant, blank, void denote absence of content or contents. Empty means without appropriate or accustomed contents:an empty refrigerator.Vacant is usually applied to that which is temporarily unoccupied:a vacant chair; three vacant apartments.Blank applies to surfaces free from any marks or lacking appropriate markings, openings, etc.:blank paper; a blank wall.Void emphasizes completely unfilled space with vague, unspecified, or no boundaries:void and without form. 6. delusive, vain. 12. unload, unburden.
    1. full.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
empty /ˈɛmptɪ/ adj ( -tier, -tiest)
  1. containing nothing
  2. without inhabitants; vacant or unoccupied
  3. carrying no load, passengers, etc
  4. without purpose, substance, or value: an empty life
  5. insincere or trivial: empty words
  6. not expressive or vital; vacant: she has an empty look
  7. informal hungry
  8. (postpositive) followed by of: devoid; destitute: a life empty of happiness
  9. informal drained of energy or emotion: after the violent argument he felt very empty
  10. (of a set or class) containing no members
 vb ( -ties, -tying, -tied)
  1. to make or become empty
  2. when intr, followed by into: to discharge (contents)
  3. (transitive) often followed by of: to unburden or rid (oneself): to empty oneself of emotion
 n ( pl -ties)
  1. an empty container, esp a bottle
Etymology: Old English ǣmtig, from æmetta free time, from æ- without + -metta, from mōtan to be obliged to; see must1ˈemptiable adj ˈemptier n ˈemptily adv ˈemptiness n
'empty' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
automatic - avoid - Barmecide - bimbo - bizzo - blank - blind - bluster - bolt - bosh - braggadocio - bunkum - cavity - cenotaph - cipher - Dahna - deadhead - dead soldier - declamatory - deplete - devastate - disgorge - double talk - dump - electromagnetic radiation - empty-handed - empty-headed - empty-nester - empty-nest syndrome - Empty Quarter - energy band - evacuate - exhaust - fool - guff - hermit crab - himbo - hollow - hot air - huff - idle - inane - inanition - jejune - jejunum - karaoke - karate - magazine - meaningless - amphoric
Collocations: [glass, plastic, carton] empties, empty the [bag, box, contents], an empty [glass, building, seat, pocket, stadium, bottle], more...

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