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
January 7, 2024: Our first sighting of the new year comes just after Cooper left the Golden Globes empty-handed…but not unhappy!
—
Glamour, 4 May 2025
Wolfe and Landau weren’t the only empty-handed directors who saw their productions get nominations: Operation Mincemeat’s Robert Hastie and Pirates!
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 May 2025
The siblings ran off empty-handed and the victim reported the clash to police.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 1 May 2025
Inzaghi’s men appear to be running out of gas at just the wrong time in the season, and there is the distinct possibility that Inter could go from winning a potential treble to ending the season empty-handed.
—Emmet Gates, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for empty-handed
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Glamour, 4 May 2025
Wolfe and Landau weren’t the only empty-handed directors who saw their productions get nominations: Operation Mincemeat’s Robert Hastie and Pirates!
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 May 2025
The siblings ran off empty-handed and the victim reported the clash to police.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 1 May 2025
Inzaghi’s men appear to be running out of gas at just the wrong time in the season, and there is the distinct possibility that Inter could go from winning a potential treble to ending the season empty-handed.
—Emmet Gates, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 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 11 May. 2025.
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