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

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

This new plan would hollow out the very structures that distinguish public ownership from private capital. —Andrew Behar, Fortune, 5 Dec. 2025

But after Soleimani’s death, the Syrian army was hollowed out. —Ray Takeyh, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2025

Rhymes for hollow out

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