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
Administration officials are mindful of how previous surges of cheap Chinese exports of steel and aluminum hollowed out American manufacturing hubs in previous decades.
—
Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
People are voting with their feet, and this is the hollowing out of the middle class that puts us on track to maintain our high Gini coefficient — income inequality.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
The proof is in the pudding: The board has allowed Calhoun to stay on as CEO until the end of the year, with presumably at least some ability to influence his own succession, which speaks to how completely the senior executive ranks have been hollowed out on his watch.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2024
The larvae hatch and feed inside, hollowing out the twig, which then dies.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024
Not only is this revered, iconic pillar of American greatness badly hobbled amidst safety crises, but now its senior executive ranks have been hollowed out, with the board urgently searching for a leadership reset amidst a lack of obvious successors.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2024
On the present course, in which Ukrainian ammunition and manpower needs are not met, Ukrainian units are likely to hollow out, making Russian breakthroughs a distinct possibility.
—Dara Massicot, Foreign Affairs, 8 Mar. 2024
The country’s democratic institutions have been hollowed out.
—John Hudson, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024
More recently, the always fragmented and fractious political opposition has been hollowed out by arrests of many leading figures on grounds of anti-war agitation.
—Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Mar. 2024
Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
People are voting with their feet, and this is the hollowing out of the middle class that puts us on track to maintain our high Gini coefficient — income inequality.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
The proof is in the pudding: The board has allowed Calhoun to stay on as CEO until the end of the year, with presumably at least some ability to influence his own succession, which speaks to how completely the senior executive ranks have been hollowed out on his watch.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2024
The larvae hatch and feed inside, hollowing out the twig, which then dies.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024
Not only is this revered, iconic pillar of American greatness badly hobbled amidst safety crises, but now its senior executive ranks have been hollowed out, with the board urgently searching for a leadership reset amidst a lack of obvious successors.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2024
On the present course, in which Ukrainian ammunition and manpower needs are not met, Ukrainian units are likely to hollow out, making Russian breakthroughs a distinct possibility.
—Dara Massicot, Foreign Affairs, 8 Mar. 2024
The country’s democratic institutions have been hollowed out.
—John Hudson, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024
More recently, the always fragmented and fractious political opposition has been hollowed out by arrests of many leading figures on grounds of anti-war agitation.
—Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hollow out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Hollow out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hollow%20out. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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