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
There's something about that process that left me feeling hollowed out at the end of it.
—
Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Advertisement Advertisement These dynamics have politicized and hollowed out the world’s oldest hatred.
—Andrew Weinstein, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Monday's demonstration outside NASA HQ is intended as a show of force to underscore the political cost of hollowing out NASA's science and education portfolio.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 12 Sep. 2025
This resulted in the global shift of manufacturing that in turn created a populist backlash in those countries where manufacturing employment was hollowed out.
—John Rennie Short, The Conversation, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hollow out
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Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Advertisement Advertisement These dynamics have politicized and hollowed out the world’s oldest hatred.
—Andrew Weinstein, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Monday's demonstration outside NASA HQ is intended as a show of force to underscore the political cost of hollowing out NASA's science and education portfolio.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 12 Sep. 2025
This resulted in the global shift of manufacturing that in turn created a populist backlash in those countries where manufacturing employment was hollowed out.
—John Rennie Short, The Conversation, 11 Sep. 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 14 Sep. 2025.
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