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
By hollowing out pluralism and delegitimizing their opponents, these leaders, to varying degrees, roll back political rights and civil liberties.
—
Nic Cheeseman, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
But as investigative journalism has been hollowed out – starved of resources and constrained by political and corporate pressure – this model has faltered.
—Kate Kenny, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
As tensions rise between Washington and the Maduro regime, experts told Fox News Digital that Venezuela’s military may look formidable on paper but is hollowed out by years of corruption, decay and political control.
—Solly Boussidan , Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 7 Dec. 2025
It is eroded by an economy hollowed out by corruption and mismanagement, by the strain of sanctions, by the daily anxiety of inflation, scarcity, and unemployment and by the relentless destruction of Iran’s environment.
—Narges Mohammadi, Time, 5 Dec. 2025
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Nic Cheeseman, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
But as investigative journalism has been hollowed out – starved of resources and constrained by political and corporate pressure – this model has faltered.
—Kate Kenny, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
As tensions rise between Washington and the Maduro regime, experts told Fox News Digital that Venezuela’s military may look formidable on paper but is hollowed out by years of corruption, decay and political control.
—Solly Boussidan , Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 7 Dec. 2025
It is eroded by an economy hollowed out by corruption and mismanagement, by the strain of sanctions, by the daily anxiety of inflation, scarcity, and unemployment and by the relentless destruction of Iran’s environment.
—Narges Mohammadi, Time, 5 Dec. 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 24 Dec. 2025.
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