empty calories
plural noun
: calories from food that supply energy but have little or no nutritional value
Examples of empty calories in a Sentence
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Weight Gain from Excess Calories Alcohol is high in empty calories and can lead to weight gain over time, which is a significant risk factor for high blood pressure.
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Kelly Burch, Verywell Health, 16 June 2025
The 20 assists weren’t empty calories, either: 17 led to zero-dribble shots, per the podfather Frank Madden and the recipients combined for just five total dribbles.
—Brian Sampson, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Volume scoring on a losing team is often treated like empty calories.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 2 Apr. 2025
Content is simply there, clogging up the arteries of streaming services and clickbait sites, offering up buffets of empty calories and almost instant amnesia.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for empty calories
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Kelly Burch, Verywell Health, 16 June 2025
The 20 assists weren’t empty calories, either: 17 led to zero-dribble shots, per the podfather Frank Madden and the recipients combined for just five total dribbles.
—Brian Sampson, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Volume scoring on a losing team is often treated like empty calories.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 2 Apr. 2025
Content is simply there, clogging up the arteries of streaming services and clickbait sites, offering up buffets of empty calories and almost instant amnesia.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 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 11 Jul. 2025.
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