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empty

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verb

as in to evacuate
to remove the contents of empty the room before starting to paint the ceiling

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective empty contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of empty are blank, vacant, vacuous, and void. While all these words mean "lacking contents which could or should be present," empty suggests a complete absence of contents.

an empty bucket

When might blank be a better fit than empty?

While in some cases nearly identical to empty, blank stresses the absence of any significant, relieving, or intelligible features on a surface.

a blank wall

When could vacant be used to replace empty?

The words vacant and empty are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, vacant suggests an absence of appropriate contents or occupants.

a vacant apartment

When is vacuous a more appropriate choice than empty?

Although the words vacuous and empty have much in common, vacuous suggests the emptiness of a vacuum and especially the lack of intelligence or significance.

a vacuous facial expression

When would void be a good substitute for empty?

The meanings of void and empty largely overlap; however, void suggests absolute emptiness as far as the mind or senses can determine.

a statement void of meaning

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of empty
Adjective
The mass resignation leaves the board's remaining 11 seats empty. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 12 June 2025 The defense attorney was facing the bench and an empty judge’s swivel chair. Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 June 2025
Verb
The two players would butt heads in everything, Paul says, from drills to one-on-one shooting games as the gym would start emptying out. Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 5 June 2025 While neither offense was explosive throughout the series, there were some brief fireworks of a different variety on Saturday when both benches emptied after Coby Mayo lunged to make contact with Sox second baseman Lenyn Sosa during a rundown. Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for empty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for empty
Adjective
  • Banking has become functionally correct but emotionally devoid, with the industry swimming in a sea of sameness.
    Michael Abbott, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Delle, devoid for so long from its intrinsic need for social interaction might be filling in the gaps by talking to himself.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2023
Adjective
  • In an entertainment world no longer dominated by linear TV, every league is hungry to become the center of conversations du jour.
    Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 17 June 2025
  • Breyer had 1,000 Zoom viewers last week, the maximum the software can hold, showing that the public is hungry to see and hear what is happening inside of the public courts.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 17 June 2025
Adjective
  • The Americans face Haiti in a meaningless group-stage match Sunday before awaiting their yet-unknown quarters foe. 6.
    Greg Cote June 22, Miami Herald, 22 June 2025
  • If the packaging is inaccessible, the exemption is meaningless.
    Bill Schiffmiller, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
Adjective
  • If the equity portion were reduced to 57% with 3% put into bitcoin, the average return drops to 6.8% in the worthless scenario and jumps to 8.2% if bitcoin hits $1 million.
    Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 7 June 2025
  • But without sufficient funding and additional critical measures, these proclamations are worthless words.
    Daniel Kolkey, Oc Register, 12 May 2025
Adjective
  • Barca even took a legal case against the regulations to a Catalan court but were unsuccessful.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 19 June 2025
  • The family's attempts to halt Oliva's deportation were unsuccessful.
    Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • Those blank entries were then sent out to all Google Cloud data center regions, which prompted the crashes, the company wrote.
    Jennifer Elias, CNBC, 16 June 2025
  • Although Chardonnay is a fairly neutral grape—almost a blank canvas—that can be manipulated by the winemaker, site specificity, soil composition, and terroir play a huge part in the flavor of the finished wine.
    Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 12 June 2025
Verb
  • Officials received a distress call just after 9 a.m. Thursday, June 12, reporting that the crew of the 57-foot sport fisher was evacuating using a life raft after the boat started taking on water, the United States Coast Guard said in a June 12 news release.
    Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 13 June 2025
  • Meanwhile, Iran’s stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium continues to grow, Israeli officials are openly weighing military options, and the United States is evacuating diplomats and military families from Iraq due to rising tensions.
    Jane Harman, Time, 13 June 2025
Adjective
  • Richards’ finish saved the U.S. in what was otherwise a listless appearance in front of a barren home crowd at Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium.
    Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 20 June 2025
  • Transatlantic flights from northern Europe — London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Copenhagen — routinely cross the southern half of the island, the bright, barren ice sheet often visible for up to an hour of cruising speed.
    Morten Høi Jensen, The Dial, 19 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Empty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/empty. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.

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