empty calories
plural noun
: calories from food that supply energy but have little or no nutritional value
Examples of empty calories in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For now, what the big outlets want to give us is bleak cookie-cutter prestige dramas like Black Rabbit, a show and restaurant that offer the empty calories of star power but no nutritional value.
—
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
But the season 3 hot dogs aren’t just empty calories.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2025
But if people aren’t completing meaningful tasks, those DAUs are empty calories.
—Pallishree Panigrahi, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
These provide empty calories and no nutrient value.
—Laura Schober, Health, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for empty calories
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
But the season 3 hot dogs aren’t just empty calories.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2025
But if people aren’t completing meaningful tasks, those DAUs are empty calories.
—Pallishree Panigrahi, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
These provide empty calories and no nutrient value.
—Laura Schober, Health, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for empty calories
Cite this Entry
“Empty calories.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empty%20calories. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share