empty-handed
adjective
emp·ty-hand·ed
ˌem(p)-tē-ˈhan-dəd 
1
: having or bringing nothing
2
: having acquired or gained nothing
came back empty-handed
Examples of empty-handed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
However, Democrats walked away from the meeting empty-handed.
—
Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 30 Sep. 2025
But after bringing the game to within three points in the third quarter, the Bulldogs had a number of opportunities to put points on the board but left empty-handed, coming up just short of a pulling off the comeback victory.
—Hunter Simpson, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
As the son of Hades relentlessly striving to escape from the underworld, failure sends players back to the start; but never empty-handed.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
Each winning member of the six-man team makes £250,000 in prize money, but the losers don’t go home empty-handed as there is an appearance fee for all based on ranking positions after Roland Garros.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for empty-handed
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.
Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 30 Sep. 2025
But after bringing the game to within three points in the third quarter, the Bulldogs had a number of opportunities to put points on the board but left empty-handed, coming up just short of a pulling off the comeback victory.
—Hunter Simpson, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
As the son of Hades relentlessly striving to escape from the underworld, failure sends players back to the start; but never empty-handed.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
Each winning member of the six-man team makes £250,000 in prize money, but the losers don’t go home empty-handed as there is an appearance fee for all based on ranking positions after Roland Garros.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for empty-handed
Cite this Entry
“Empty-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empty-handed. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share