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
The woman’s coffee skin features white and black striations: while the white lines communicate where light touches her, the latter lines hollow out her under-eyes and cheeks to register a fatigue that evinces perseverance.
—
Shameekia Shantel Johnson, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024
Spirit Halloween Ad This fake ad serves as both a takedown of one of the weirdest and most weirdly popular business models operating today and a critique of the hollowing out of the American middle class.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
That independent filmmaking has been hollowing out for decades, thanks to studio conglomeration, streaming platforms, and risk-averse financing, is no surprise.
—Elena Saavedra Buckley, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2024
Interstate highways and urban renewal projects tore through Black neighborhoods, displacing thousands of residents, hollowing out commercial districts and fraying community ties.
—Victor Luckerson, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hollow out 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Shameekia Shantel Johnson, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024
Spirit Halloween Ad This fake ad serves as both a takedown of one of the weirdest and most weirdly popular business models operating today and a critique of the hollowing out of the American middle class.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
That independent filmmaking has been hollowing out for decades, thanks to studio conglomeration, streaming platforms, and risk-averse financing, is no surprise.
—Elena Saavedra Buckley, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2024
Interstate highways and urban renewal projects tore through Black neighborhoods, displacing thousands of residents, hollowing out commercial districts and fraying community ties.
—Victor Luckerson, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Sep. 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 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share