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

The agency was hollowed out of the nonpartisan legal experts who made a career serving government — more than 75% of the staff left. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026

Countries globally remain fearful that China’s surging manufacturing overcapacity is hollowing out their industries. — semafor.com, 5 Nov. 2026

The need for strong enforcement powers is now all the greater since the federal Departments of Justice and Education have hollowed out their Offices of Civil Rights. — David Bloomfield, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026

Goldhagen, who led Duval County’s health department from 1993 to 2005, said Florida’s statewide system of county health departments has been hollowed out by years of staff and budget cuts, diminishing their ability to address public health crises. — Yona Gavino, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for hollow out

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