INDEX:
1. container/bottle/glass
2. building/room/seat
3. place/area of land
4. paper/tape/screen
5. to make something empty
6. to make everyone leave a place
7. a room or place becomes empty
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ FULL
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1. container/bottle/glass
▷ empty /ˈempti/ [adjective]
a container, bottle, or glass that is empty has nothing inside it :
▪ There were two empty beer bottles on the table.
▪ I noticed her glass was empty, and offered her some more wine.
▪ There was nothing at all in the room except an empty cupboard.
half empty
used to say that half of the contents of a packet. bottle etc have been used
▪ We’ve only got one bottle of milk left, and that’s half empty.
▷ empties /ˈemptiz/ [plural noun] informal
empty containers, especially empty bottles :
▪ The bartender picked up the crate of empties and took it down to the cellar.
▪ You can get some money back if you return the empties to the shop.
▷ there’s nothing in it /ðeəʳz ˌnʌθɪŋ ˈɪn ɪt/
use this to say that a container is empty :
▪ I looked in her bag, but there was nothing in it.
2. building/room/seat
▷ empty /ˈempti/ [adjective]
a building, room, or seat that is empty has nothing or no-one in it :
▪ My footsteps echoed across the empty room.
▪ We were a little worried to find that half the seats in the theatre were empty.
▪ Police say the shot was fired from an empty office building across the street.
half empty
used to say that a room, building etc has not got many people in it
▪ I was surprised that the train was half empty at that time of day.
▷ free /friː/ [adjective not usually before noun]
a seat, space, or room that is free is not being used and is available for people to use :
▪ Is this seat free?
▪ There are never any parking spaces free at this time of day.
▪ The meeting room won’t be free until at least 3.30, I’m afraid.
▷ vacant /ˈveɪkənt/ [adjective]
a building, room, or seat that is vacant is not being used and is available for people to use :
▪ The police had set up a temporary station in a vacant apartment across the street.
▪ The next guesthouse we tried had a couple of rooms vacant.
▪ Brunton went into the bar, but he couldn’t spot a single vacant seat.
▷ bare /beəʳ/ [adjective]
a room or building that is bare has very little furniture or other things in it :
▪ The room was completely bare except for a bed against the wall.
▪ We spent a long time walking through the bare rooms, remembering the games we used to play there.
▷ unoccupied /ʌnˈɒkjɑpaɪdǁ-ˈɑːk-/ [adjective] especially written
an unoccupied house, room, office etc is not being lived in or used :
▪ Many of the old houses that back onto the railway are now unoccupied.
▪ It’s a scandal that there are so many unoccupied buildings in this city, and so many homeless people.
3. place/area of land
▷ empty /ˈempti/ [adjective]
a place that is empty has no-one in it :
▪ It was 2 o'clock in the morning and the streets were completely empty.
▷ deserted /dɪˈzɜːʳtɪd, dɪˈzɜːʳtəd/ [adjective]
a place that is deserted is empty and quiet because there is no one there, or the people who are usually there have left :
▪ The beach was deserted and unsafe for bathing according to the guidebook.
▪ We passed through several deserted villages whose inhabitants had fled.
▷ uninhabited /ˌʌnɪnˈhæbɪtəd◂, ˌʌnɪnˈhæbətəd◂/ [adjective]
an area or place that is uninhabited has no people living in it :
▪ Most of the islands in Clear Bay are uninhabited.
▪ Access to this remote uninhabited Himalayan mountain is via high snow-covered passes.
▷ desolate /ˈdesələt/ [adjective]
an area that is desolate is empty and sad-looking, because there are no people there, no trees or plants growing, and nothing attractive to see :
▪ We looked out over a desolate landscape of bare trees and stony fields.
▪ The little mining town was desolate and ugly.
▪ the desolate terrain of the moon
▷ ghost town /ˈgəʊst taʊn/ [countable noun]
a town that is empty because all the people have left :
become/turn into a ghost town
▪ Since the closing of the coal mines the place has become a ghost town.
▪ By March the population had been evacuated, and Verdun had become a ghost town.
▷ wasteland /ˈweɪstlænd, -lənd/ [countable/uncountable noun]
an area of land, especially in a city, that is empty, ugly, and unused :
▪ The area down by the docks is just a wasteland.
▪ Detectives discovered the man’s body dumped on wasteland near the railway.
4. paper/tape/screen
▷ blank /blæŋk/ [adjective]
a blank screen, tape, or piece of paper has nothing written or recorded on it :
▪ Ian stared at the blank sheet of paper in front of him.
▪ I want to record the late-night movie. Do we have any blank video cassettes?
▷ space /speɪs/ [countable noun]
a place that has been left empty in a piece of writing, especially so that you can write something in it :
▪ There’s a space for you to sign your name.
▪ Write your address in the space provided.
empty space
▪ The students were told to fill in the empty spaces with suitable adjectives.
▷ empty /ˈempti/ [adjective]
a page or piece of paper that is empty has nothing written or drawn on it :
▪ He stared at the empty page. The test was nearly over, and he hadn’t managed to answer any of the questions.
▪ an empty canvas with a few red blobs in the centre
5. to make something empty
▷ empty /ˈempti/ [transitive verb]
to make something empty by removing what was in it :
▪ The garbage cans are emptied once a week.
empty your pockets
▪ The police made us stand against the wall and told us to empty our pockets.
empty your glass
drink everything that is in it
▪ ‘See you,’ he called, emptying his glass and making for the door.
▷ drain /dreɪn/ [transitive verb]
to remove all the liquid from a large container or a machine :
▪ The police even drained the lake in their search for the body.
drain off something/drain something off
▪ To remove algae from your aquarium, drain off the water and wash the tank thoroughly.
▷ clear out /ˌklɪər ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to empty a room, cupboard, house etc, especially because you no longer want the things that are in it :
clear out something
▪ I found a pile of her old letters while I was clearing out my desk.
clear something out
▪ We have to clear the garage out this weekend.
have a clear-out [verb phrase] British
when you empty your cupboards, a room etc and get rid of things :
▪ I decided to have a clear-out and throw out all my old clothes.
▷ turn out /ˌtɜːʳn ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb] British
to empty a cupboard, a drawer, pockets etc, especially when you are looking for something :
turn out something/turn something out
▪ The headteacher told them to turn out their pockets.
▪ The thieves had turned out the drawer, scattering the contents on the floor.
6. to make everyone leave a place
▷ clear /klɪəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to empty a place by asking the people in it to leave :
▪ Police cleared the building and carried out a controlled explosion.
▪ The area around the palace had been cleared for the parade.
▷ evacuate /ɪˈvækjueɪt/ [transitive verb]
if the police or the authorities evacuate a place, they order everyone in it to leave, especially because it may be dangerous :
▪ A five-block area had to be evacuated following the discovery of 500 pounds of dynamite in a house.
▪ Terra, 60 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, was evacuated as the fires threatened to spread.
7. a room or place becomes empty
▷ empty /ˈempti/ [intransitive verb]
to become empty because all the people leave :
▪ On Saturday night, most of the clubs empty at around 3 am.
▪ By the autumn, the hotels along the sea front were emptying, and the town became quiet again.
▪ When we reached Dortmund the carriage emptied, and I was left alone.