hollow out
phrasal 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
Other underfunded programs—including cybersecurity and public health—hollow out internal capacities that protect the homeland.
—
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 13 Nov. 2025
Yet another former prime minister reaching the end of the road in his legal battle to exonerate himself suggests a deeper hollowing out and evisceration of Pakistan’s legal institutions.
—Rafia Zakaria, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
This could hollow out support mechanisms.
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
In the 1980s, the Construction Differential Subsidy was abolished, hollowing out the commercial base.
—Big Think, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hollow out
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Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 13 Nov. 2025
Yet another former prime minister reaching the end of the road in his legal battle to exonerate himself suggests a deeper hollowing out and evisceration of Pakistan’s legal institutions.
—Rafia Zakaria, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
This could hollow out support mechanisms.
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
In the 1980s, the Construction Differential Subsidy was abolished, hollowing out the commercial base.
—Big Think, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hollow out
Cite this Entry
“Hollow out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hollow%20out. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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