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
People hollowed out by 30 years of grief recount what happened in raw, wrenching detail.
—
Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
With the hollowing out of its ranks, that agency no longer has staff to run its programs for young people.
—Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
And that leads to more offshoring — and the hollowing out of U.S. industry.
—Jon Toomey, Boston Herald, 26 July 2025
As the Administration hollows out institutions, including federal law enforcement, the idea of private police, whether in the form of volunteers or cops for hire, has become increasingly attractive to many on the right.
—Jessica Pishko, New Yorker, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hollow out
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Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
With the hollowing out of its ranks, that agency no longer has staff to run its programs for young people.
—Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
And that leads to more offshoring — and the hollowing out of U.S. industry.
—Jon Toomey, Boston Herald, 26 July 2025
As the Administration hollows out institutions, including federal law enforcement, the idea of private police, whether in the form of volunteers or cops for hire, has become increasingly attractive to many on the right.
—Jessica Pishko, New Yorker, 6 June 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 19 Aug. 2025.
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