/ ˈempti; NAmE / adjective , verb
■ adjective ( emp·tier , emp·ti·est )
1.
empty (of sth) with no people or things inside :
an empty box / glass
empty hands (= not holding anything)
an empty plate (= with no food on it)
The theatre was half empty .
an empty house / room / bus
Is this an empty chair (= not one that another person will be using) ?
The house had been standing empty (= without people living in it) for some time.
It's not good to drink alcohol on an empty stomach (= without having eaten something) .
( formal )
The room was empty of furniture.
2.
[ usually before noun ] ( of sth that sb says or does ) with no meaning; not meaning what is said
SYN hollow :
empty words
an empty promise
an empty gesture aimed at pleasing the crowds
3.
( of a person, or a person's life ) unhappy because life does not seem to have a purpose, usually after sth sad has happened :
Three months after his death, she still felt empty.
My life seems empty without you.
4.
empty of sth without a quality that you would expect to be there :
words that were empty of meaning
► emp·ti·ly adverb :
She stood staring emptily into space.
■ verb ( emp·ties , empty·ing , emp·tied , emp·tied )
1.
[ vn ] ~ sth (out / out of sth) | ~ sth (of sth) to remove everything that is in a container, etc. :
I emptied out my pockets but could not find my keys.
She emptied the water out of the vase.
He emptied his glass and asked for a refill.
He emptied the ashtrays, washed the glasses and went to bed.
The room had been emptied of all furniture.
( figurative )
She emptied her mind of all thoughts of home.
2.
[ v ] ~ (out) to become empty :
The tank empties out in five minutes.
The streets soon emptied when the rain started.
3.
[ vn ] ~ sth (out) to take out the contents of sth and put them somewhere else :
She emptied the contents of her bag onto the table.
Many factories emptied their waste into the river.
4.
[ vn ] to make sure that everyone leaves a room, building, etc.
SYN evacuate :
Police had instructions to empty the building because of a bomb threat.
5.
[ v ] ~ (out) into / onto sth to flow or move out from one place to another :
The Rhine empties into the North Sea.
Fans emptied out onto the streets after the concert.
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English ǣmtig , ǣmetig at leisure, empty , from ǣmetta leisure , perhaps from ā no, not + mōt meeting (see moot ).