hollow out
verb
hollowed out; hollowing out; hollows out
1
: to remove the inside of (something) : to make an empty space in (something)
The kids were hollowing out pumpkins.
a hollowed-out log
2
: to form (something) by digging or cutting the inside of something
Workers hollowed out a tunnel through the mountain.
Examples of hollow out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Others are deepening their investments, with executives talking about the responsibility of ensuring the ecosystem is not hollowed out in this downturn.
—
Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 1 May 2026
Advisory councils, which provide a second layer of peer review, have been hollowed out.
—Anil Oza, STAT, 30 Apr. 2026
At the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the shutdown has hollowed out capacity at a particularly sensitive moment.
—Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
The demolition of public housing less than a decade before hollowed out a town already on its knees.
—Molly Parker, ProPublica, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hollow out
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Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 1 May 2026
Advisory councils, which provide a second layer of peer review, have been hollowed out.
—Anil Oza, STAT, 30 Apr. 2026
At the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the shutdown has hollowed out capacity at a particularly sensitive moment.
—Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
The demolition of public housing less than a decade before hollowed out a town already on its knees.
—Molly Parker, ProPublica, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hollow out
Cite this Entry
“Hollow out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hollow%20out. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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