hollow out
phrasal 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
Louisa, like so many other places in the region, has been hollowed out by opioids.
—
Longreads, 18 Dec. 2024
Proof that the stack hasn’t been hollowed out to hide drugs.
—Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Dec. 2024
Trump’s transition team also wants to hollow out the E.P.A. itself.
—Lisa Friedman, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
The worst thing to do would be to hollow out the government, cut taxes massively for rich people, and then tax the poor people through tariffs.
—Peter Green, Quartz, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hollow out 
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Longreads, 18 Dec. 2024
Proof that the stack hasn’t been hollowed out to hide drugs.
—Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Dec. 2024
Trump’s transition team also wants to hollow out the E.P.A. itself.
—Lisa Friedman, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
The worst thing to do would be to hollow out the government, cut taxes massively for rich people, and then tax the poor people through tariffs.
—Peter Green, Quartz, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hollow out
Dictionary Entries Near hollow out
Cite this Entry
“Hollow out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hollow%20out. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
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