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
Modern techniques like ultrasonic scanning reveal if a bar’s interior has been hollowed out or replaced with tungsten.
—
Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
This focus drew on the work of critics of the old economic orthodoxy, who charged that the neoliberal emphasis on free trade without any supports for workers had hollowed out once thriving manufacturing communities and led to discontent with the deindustrialization that fueled Trump’s rise.
—Jason Furman, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2025
And these years in Philadelphia proved troubled ones: As the city’s industrial life was hollowed out, Lynch became obsessed with its factory smokestacks and pervasive smog.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2025
Major crimes on the subway were down 5.4% in 2024 compared to the year prior, NYPD statistics show, and down 13% compared to 2019, before the pandemic hollowed out transit ridership, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters on Monday, Jan. 6.
—Ben Brachfeld, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hollow out
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Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
This focus drew on the work of critics of the old economic orthodoxy, who charged that the neoliberal emphasis on free trade without any supports for workers had hollowed out once thriving manufacturing communities and led to discontent with the deindustrialization that fueled Trump’s rise.
—Jason Furman, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2025
And these years in Philadelphia proved troubled ones: As the city’s industrial life was hollowed out, Lynch became obsessed with its factory smokestacks and pervasive smog.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2025
Major crimes on the subway were down 5.4% in 2024 compared to the year prior, NYPD statistics show, and down 13% compared to 2019, before the pandemic hollowed out transit ridership, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters on Monday, Jan. 6.
—Ben Brachfeld, People.com, 6 Jan. 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 3 Mar. 2025.
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