hollower
ˈhä-lə-wər 
; hollowest
ˈhä-lə-wəst
; hollowest
ˈhä-lə-wəst
2
: having an unfilled or hollowed-out space within
a hollow tree
3
: lacking in real value, sincerity, or substance : false, meaningless
hollow promises
a victory over a weakling is hollow and without triumph—
Ernest Beaglehole
Ernest Beaglehole4
: reverberating like a sound made in or by beating on a large empty enclosure : muffled
heard a hollow sound when he knocked on the wall
hollowness
noun
plural hollows
hollowed; hollowing; hollows
1
: to remove the inside of : to make hollow (see hollow entry 1)
a hollowed tree
hollowing out pumpkins for Halloween
2
: to form by removing the inside of something : to form by making something hollow
—usually used with out
rain barrels hollowed out from trees—Robert Shaplen
Robert Shaplenhollowing out a tunnel
: to become hollow
his cheeks had hollowed
1
: so as to have a hollow (see hollow entry 1 sense 4) sound
The sound echoed hollow in the cave.
: in a way that reflects a lack of real value, sincerity, or substance
Their threats rang hollow.
2
: completely, thoroughly
—often used with all
"… Edward is always real glad to get some of the old farmhouse goodies. He says they beat city cooking all hollow, and so they do."—Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud MontgomerySynonyms
Examples of hollow in a Sentence
Adjective
There was a hollow spot in the field.
there's a noticeably hollow spot in the mattress where he has been sleeping
Noun
The owls nested in the hollow of a tree.
made a little hollow in her mound of mashed potatoes and filled it with gravy
Verb
They hollowed the log to make a canoe.
Recent Examples on the Web
Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
Though the knife handle is hollow, the rest of the pieces are nicely weighted, and Lenox offers a limited lifetime warranty against defects.
—Emily Farris, Bon Appétit, 18 Oct. 2024
John Riley, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2024
One hallmark of a Rooney protagonist, after all, is the kind of willful disappearance—into an affair, into BDSM, into friendship, or, indeed, into the hollows of one’s own body—that fat people are rarely afforded.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2024
Ellen Ioanes, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Deep shadows hollowed the space beneath his shoulder blades, and the full outline of each rib was visible under his skin.
—Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 15 Aug. 2024
oregonlive, 19 May 2020
But the Iranian government's tendency to point the finger at Washington, or other malicious foreign actors, for unrest at home is ringing hollow now.
—Eliza MacKintosh, CNN, 13 Jan. 2020
See all Example Sentences for hollow 
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Adjective
Unlike a snake, which injects venom through hollow fangs, the gila monster’s venom flows through large grooved lower teeth.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
Though the knife handle is hollow, the rest of the pieces are nicely weighted, and Lenox offers a limited lifetime warranty against defects.
—Emily Farris, Bon Appétit, 18 Oct. 2024
Noun
But there's a good chance every bite of the nation’s orange obsession has its origins in the same spot: Morton, a sleepy hollow outside Peoria, Illinois that touts itself as the pumpkin capital of the world.
—John Riley, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2024
One hallmark of a Rooney protagonist, after all, is the kind of willful disappearance—into an affair, into BDSM, into friendship, or, indeed, into the hollows of one’s own body—that fat people are rarely afforded.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2024
Verb
Even without literally shutting the doors to the federal agency, there could be ways a Trump administration could hollow the DOE and do significant damage, Valant and Kettl said.
—Ellen Ioanes, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Deep shadows hollowed the space beneath his shoulder blades, and the full outline of each rib was visible under his skin.
—Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 15 Aug. 2024
Adverb
That notion rings hollow to Nick Cady, legal director for Cascadia Wildlands, one of the environmental organizations that originally petitioned to protect fishers in Oregon in 2000.
—oregonlive, 19 May 2020
But the Iranian government's tendency to point the finger at Washington, or other malicious foreign actors, for unrest at home is ringing hollow now.
—Eliza MacKintosh, CNN, 13 Jan. 2020
See all Example Sentences for hollow
Dictionary Entries Near hollow
Cite this Entry
“Hollow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hollow. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
hollow
noun
hol·low
ˈhäl-(ˌ)ō, -ə(-w)
: a depressed part of a surface or a concavity
the hollow at the back of the knee
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