Definition of “empty” - English Dictionary

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“empty” in English

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emptyadjective

uk ​ /ˈemp.ti/ us ​ /ˈemp.ti/

empty adjective (NOTHING IN)

A2 not containing any things or people:

an empty house/street
Shall I take the empty bottles for recycling?
The train was empty (= there were no passengers) by the time it reached London.

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Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

emptily
adverb uk ​ /ˈemp.təl.i/ us ​ /ˈemp.təl.i/

Idiom(s)

on an empty stomach

emptyverb

uk ​ /ˈemp.ti/ us ​ /ˈemp.ti/

› [ T ] to remove everything from inside something:

I emptied the closet and put my belongings into the black overnight case.
Would you mind emptying (out) your pockets?
Empty the soup into a saucepan and simmer gently for ten minutes.
She quickly emptied her glass (= drank its contents) and ordered another drink.

› [ I ] to become empty:

The place emptied pretty quickly when the fight started.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Phrasal verb(s)

empty into sth

emptynoun [ C usually plural ]

uk ​ /ˈemp.ti/ us ​ /ˈemp.ti/

(Definition of “empty” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“empty” in American English

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emptyadjective

us ​ /ˈemp·ti/

› having nothing inside:

He set the empty glass down.

› If a place is empty, no one is using it or is present:

It was past midnight, and the streets were empty.

› Empty also means without any meaning or purpose:

We need jobs, not empty promises.

Idiom(s)

on an empty stomach

emptynoun [ C usually pl ]

us ​ /ˈemp·ti/

› a container with nothing in it, esp. one whose contents have been used:

Bring the empties to the recycling center.

emptyverb [ I/T ]

us ​ /ˈemp·ti/

› to take out everything from inside something, or to lose what is inside so that nothing is left:

[ T ] She emptied her husband’s mug in the sink.
[ I ] Once the movie ended, the theater emptied quickly.
[ I ] The Tombigbee River empties into Mobile Bay (= its water flows there).

(Definition of “empty” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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