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
Indeed, an ascendant wing of the Republican Party has actively pushed for a more muscular government—in the areas of family and industrial policy, for example—after reaching the conclusion that Reagan-style market orthodoxy has hollowed out communities, among other bad outcomes.
—
Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 2 May 2025
Lobbying for a carve-out The White House has said large and persistent trade deficits have led to the hollowing out of the nation's manufacturing base and undermined critical supply chains.
—Rajesh Kumar Singh, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
Bloom also noted that remote work has hollowed out the downtowns of many U.S. cities.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2025
The hollowing out of American manufacturing has destroyed American cities and towns across the country.
—Andy Harris, Baltimore Sun, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hollow out
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Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 2 May 2025
Lobbying for a carve-out The White House has said large and persistent trade deficits have led to the hollowing out of the nation's manufacturing base and undermined critical supply chains.
—Rajesh Kumar Singh, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
Bloom also noted that remote work has hollowed out the downtowns of many U.S. cities.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2025
The hollowing out of American manufacturing has destroyed American cities and towns across the country.
—Andy Harris, Baltimore Sun, 24 Apr. 2025
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 16 May. 2025.
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