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

This race to the bottom meant the United States hollowed out its own industrial base, which was tied to relatively expensive American labor and much more restrictive regulations, while enduring a growing imbalanced trade relationship with our partners — friend or foe. —Alan Beard, Baltimore Sun, 15 Apr. 2025

Small towns hollowed out by globalization might see some hope of a better future. —Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025

But its firing of key officials across the intelligence and security apparatus has made the United States more vulnerable by hollowing out the very leadership responsible for threat detection and rapid response. —Jane Harman, Time, 10 Apr. 2025

Others were out of balance or incomplete, as if the middle had been hollowed out. —Eric Asimov, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

Rhymes for hollow out

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