hollow out

verb

hollowed out; hollowing out; hollows out

1

: to remove the inside of (something) : to make an empty space in (something)

The kids were hollowing out pumpkins.

a hollowed-out log

2

: to form (something) by digging or cutting the inside of something

Workers hollowed out a tunnel through the mountain.

Examples of hollow out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Motorola was investment grade and dominant; within two decades disruption had hollowed out its core business and split the company, though the bonds themselves never defaulted. —Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026

Sandwiched between these extremes, the middle-income cohort is quietly hollowing out. —Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 17 June 2026

Morocco has just leapfrogged South Africa in the African Development Bank industrial ranking, sharpening the urgency to cut costs that hollow out factories. —Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 15 June 2026

But the broader narrative that repeated dieting inevitably hollows out lean tissue is not supported by the current body of evidence. —Allison Palmer updated June 13, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2026

Rhymes for hollow out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout