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

For most of the past decade, the point-of-sale system has been treated as a solved problem—a commoditized terminal to be hollowed out, wrapped in APIs and pushed to the edge of the architecture diagram. — Peter Kellis, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Emigration has also hollowed out entire professions, emptying hospitals of health workers, schools of teachers, and even churches of priests and pastors, on a scale that Cubans have never seen before. — Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026

Todd said clients that had planned capital investments nixed projects because of the escalating tariff threats and the prospect that the value of those investments would be hollowed out by new tariff burdens. — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 11 Sep. 2026

The scene highlights Rohrwacher’s delicate vulnerability and her masterful way of capturing Erika’s inner life, at once hollowed out yet in turmoil. — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for hollow out

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