hollow
gb/hˈɑloʊ/ us/hˈɑloʊ/
B1
English
~ 9600
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B1
property
1
empty inside, not solid
Having space inside instead of being solid all the way through.
Usage pattern:
a hollow [object]; [something] is hollow
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'hollow' when they just mean 'empty' in a general sense (for example, 'an empty room'). 'Hollow' is usually for objects that are meant to have an inside space (like tubes, trees, balls), not for wide open areas like rooms or streets.
Synonyms
empty (Focuses on there being nothing inside, without stressing the idea of a built-in cavity or structure as much as 'hollow' does.)
Antonyms
solid (Describes something with no internal space or cavity, the opposite of being hollow.)
Collocations
hollow tree
|hollow tube
|hollow log
|hollow ball
|hollow cylinder
|hollow metal
Themes
science
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The statue looks heavy, but it's actually hollow.
- We found a snake living inside a hollow tree.
- Pour the chocolate into a hollow mold and let it set.
- The pipe is hollow so the wires can run through it.
- He hid the money in a hollow brick in the wall.
Learner examples
- The ball is hollow and full of air.
- They stored food in a hollow rock.
- The tube feels light because it is hollow.
- The bird made a nest in a hollow log.
- This metal stick is not solid; it is hollow.
unknown
B2
property
2
insincere or without real value
Not real or true in feeling or value, only seeming to be good or important.
Usage pattern:
a hollow [victory/promise/laugh]; [words] sound hollow
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'hollow' with 'shallow' when talking about feelings. 'Hollow' means there is no real feeling or value inside, while 'shallow' usually means a person or feeling is simple and not deep, but not necessarily completely empty or false.
Synonyms
insincere (Stresses that the emotion or promise is not truly felt, while 'hollow' can also stress lack of real value or result.)
Antonyms
genuine (Describes something that is real and sincerely meant, the opposite of a hollow or empty statement or feeling.)
Collocations
hollow victory
|hollow laugh
|hollow promise
|hollow words
|hollow apology
|sound hollow
Themes
emotions
|communication
Examples
- Their celebration felt hollow once they realized how much damage the project had caused.
- He gave a hollow laugh that showed he was still hurt.
- After years of broken agreements, her apology sounded hollow.
- Winning by cheating turned what should have been a triumph into a hollow victory.
- People are tired of hollow promises from politicians.
Learner examples
- His smile looked hollow and sad.
- She said sorry, but her words were hollow.
- It was a win, but it felt hollow.
- The praise was hollow and did not help him.
- Many people do not trust hollow promises.
Noun
B2
entity
3
small valley or land dip
A small low place in the ground, like a little valley.
Usage pattern:
a hollow in [the ground/the hills]
Common mistake:
Learners may use 'hole' instead of 'hollow' for landforms. A 'hole' usually goes straight down and can be small, while a 'hollow' is more like a wide, low place, often between higher areas.
Synonyms
depression (A more technical or formal term for a low area in the ground; 'hollow' is more everyday and can sound more literary or descriptive.)
Antonyms
hill (A raised area of land, the opposite of a sunken or low area like a hollow.)
Collocations
wooded hollow
|deep hollow
|shallow hollow
|a hollow in the ground
|nestled in a hollow
|dark hollow
Themes
nature
|geography
Examples
- The village lay in a quiet hollow between the hills.
- Rainwater filled the hollow and formed a small pond.
- They set up camp in a sheltered hollow out of the wind.
- The deer rested in a grassy hollow at the edge of the forest.
- A narrow path led down into the hollow where the stream ran.
Learner examples
- The house is in a small hollow.
- Water stayed in the hollow after the rain.
- They walked down into a hollow in the field.
- Cows were eating grass in the hollow.
- Fog was thick in the hollow between the trees.
Noun
B2
entity
4
cavity or curved inner part
A small empty space or curved low part in something, especially in a body or object.
Usage pattern:
the hollow of [a body part]; a hollow in [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say 'hole' for body parts (for example, 'the hole of his hand'). Use 'the hollow of his hand' to mean the curved inside part, not an actual opening.
Synonyms
cavity (More technical and often used for medical or structural spaces; 'hollow' is more general and used in everyday description.)
Antonyms
bulge (A rounded part that sticks out, the opposite of a curved part that goes inward like a hollow.)
Collocations
the hollow of his hand
|the hollow of her back
|the hollow of her throat
|a hollow in the wall
|a hollow in the tree
|a hollow between the rocks
Themes
body
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She poured water into the hollow of her hand and drank.
- He rested his head in the hollow of her shoulder.
- Birds were nesting in a hollow in the old oak tree.
- They hid the key in a hollow behind a loose brick.
- The doctor pressed gently on the hollow at the base of his neck.
Learner examples
- He held the coin in the hollow of his hand.
- There is a small hollow in the wall.
- A bird lives in the hollow of that tree.
- She felt pain in the hollow of her back.
- He put his thumb in the hollow under her chin.
Verb
B2
action
5
make something hollow inside
To take out the inside part of something so that it has an empty space inside.
Usage pattern:
to hollow (out) [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes forget the particle 'out' and say only 'hollow' as a verb. 'Hollow' is often used as 'hollow out' in modern English, especially for everyday actions like 'hollow out a pumpkin'.
Synonyms
carve out (Often suggests cutting with tools and shaping carefully; 'hollow (out)' focuses simply on making an empty space inside.)
Antonyms
fill (Means putting something into an empty space, the opposite of removing material to make a hollow.)
Collocations
hollow out a pumpkin
|hollow out a log
|hollowed rock
|hollowed cheeks
|hollowed tunnel
|hollowed bread roll
Themes
craft
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- They hollowed out a pumpkin to make a lantern.
- Over time, the river hollowed a deep channel in the rock.
- The craftsman hollowed the log to turn it into a canoe.
- She carefully hollowed out a space in the book to hide the key.
- The tunnels were hollowed through the mountain by machines.
Learner examples
- We will hollow out the bread and put soup inside.
- He hollowed out a small place in the wood.
- The kids hollowed a pumpkin for Halloween.
- Water slowly hollowed the stone.
- They hollowed out the hill to build a road.
adjective
B2
property
6
dull, echoing sound quality
Sounding dull and strange, like a noise made inside an empty room or container.
Usage pattern:
a hollow [sound/voice]; [sound] is hollow
Common mistake:
Learners may think 'hollow' always means 'quiet', but a hollow sound can be loud; it describes the quality of the sound, not the volume.
Synonyms
echoing (Focuses on the repetition of sound, while 'hollow' also suggests the thin, empty quality of the sound.)
Antonyms
rich (Describes a full, deep sound, the opposite of the thin, empty quality of a hollow sound.)
Collocations
hollow sound
|hollow voice
|hollow echo
|hollow beat
|hollow footsteps
|hollow tone
Themes
sound
|technology
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Her footsteps made a hollow sound on the wooden floor.
- His voice was hollow, as if he were speaking from far away.
- The knock on the door had a hollow echo.
- The cheap speakers produced a thin, hollow sound.
- A hollow thud came from somewhere in the attic.
Learner examples
- I heard a hollow sound in the empty room.
- His voice was low and hollow.
- The drum gave a hollow boom.
- She knocked and it sounded hollow.
- The hall was empty, so every step was hollow and loud.
adjective
B2
property
7
sunken cheeks or eyes
Used about the face when the cheeks or eyes look deep and empty because someone is very thin, sick, or tired.
Usage pattern:
hollow [cheeks/eyes/face]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'hollow' for any thin person. It is usually used about specific parts of the face (cheeks, eyes, face), not the whole body: say 'hollow cheeks', not 'a hollow body'.
Synonyms
sunken (Neutral description of something that has gone inward; 'hollow' adds a sense of emptiness and sometimes suffering.)
Antonyms
full (Describes cheeks or features that look rounded and healthy, the opposite of hollow or sunken.)
Collocations
hollow cheeks
|hollow eyes
|hollow face
|hollow look
|hollow-eyed
|gaunt and hollow
Themes
health
|appearance
|body
Examples
- His cheeks were hollow after weeks in the hospital.
- She stared at him with tired, hollow eyes.
- The refugees arrived thin, hollow-faced, and exhausted.
- Dark circles and hollow eyes showed how little sleep he had.
- Her once round face had become pale and hollow.
Learner examples
- He has hollow cheeks after his illness.
- Her hollow eyes show that she is very tired.
- The man looked thin and hollow-faced.
- After the long trip, their faces were hollow and pale.
- The boy's hollow cheeks worried his parents.
Grammar
Dictionary form
hollow
IPA
GB/hˈɑloʊ/
US/hˈɑloʊ/
Syllables & stress
hol - low (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (hol)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: hollow
- Comparative: hollower
- Superlative: hollowest
Noun
- Base: hollow
- Plural: hollows
Verb
- Base: hollow
- 3rd Person Singular: hollows
- Present Participle: hollowing
- Past: hollowed
Word family
Forms
hollows
noun
hollowing
verb
hollowed
verb
hollower
adjective
hollowest
adjective
Core family
hollowness
noun
Negative and opposite forms
solid
adjective A2
Advanced or less common
hollowly
adverb
Expressions
a hollow laugh
1/ə hˈɑloʊ lˈæf/
fixed phrase
laugh without real joy
A laugh that does not show real happiness, often used when someone is upset or does not really find something funny.
Examples
- She let out a hollow laugh when he called the situation 'a minor problem'.
- At the bad news, he gave a short, hollow laugh.
- His hollow laugh told me he was still angry.
a hollow promise
1/ə hˈɑloʊ pɹˈɑməs/
fixed phrase
promise that won't be kept
A promise that is not real and will probably not be kept.
Examples
- Many voters saw the speech as full of hollow promises.
- He was tired of her hollow promises to change.
- Without a plan, their promise to fix the problem sounded hollow.
a hollow victory
1/ə hˈɑloʊ vˈɪktɚi/
fixed phrase
win without real benefit
A win or success that does not make you happy or does not really help you.
Examples
- Beating an injured opponent was a hollow victory.
- Without the prize money, the award felt like a hollow victory.
- For many workers, the legal change was a hollow victory with little effect on daily life.
beat someone hollow
1/bˈit sˈʌmwˌʌn hˈɑloʊ/
idiom
informal
defeat someone completely
To win against someone by a very large difference; to defeat someone completely.
Examples
- Our team beat them hollow in the final.
- In tests of battery life, this phone beats its rivals hollow.
- She beat him hollow in the debate.
have a hollow ring
1/hˈæv ə hˈɑloʊ ɹˈɪŋ/
idiom
seem false or insincere
If words 'have a hollow ring', they sound false or not sincere.
Examples
- His sudden concern for the poor had a hollow ring.
- To many workers, the company's promise of change has a hollow ring.
- After years of delay, their explanations have a hollow ring.
hollow cheeks
1/hˈɑloʊ t͡ʃˈiks/
fixed phrase
sunken, thin-looking cheeks
Cheeks that go inward and look very thin, often because someone is sick or has lost weight.
Examples
- The actor had hollow cheeks after losing weight for the role.
- Her hollow cheeks and pale skin worried her friends.
- His once round face now had sharp bones and hollow cheeks.
hollow eyes
1/hˈɑloʊ ˈaɪz/
fixed phrase
sunken, tired-looking eyes
Eyes that look deep, dark, and very tired, often because someone is sick, sad, or has not slept.
Examples
- The photo showed a man with hollow eyes and a blank stare.
- After the night shift, her hollow eyes gave away her exhaustion.
- His hollow eyes made his smile look even sadder.
hollow out
1/hˈɑloʊ ˈaʊt/
phrasal verb
remove the inside part
To take out the inside part of something so that there is an empty space inside.
Examples
- We spent the afternoon hollowing out pumpkins for Halloween.
- The carpenter hollowed out the beam to hide the cables.
- Over centuries, the river has hollowed out a deep cave in the cliff.
hollow sound
1/hˈɑloʊ sˈaʊnd/
fixed phrase
dull, echoing kind of sound
A sound that is dull and echoing, like a noise made inside an empty room or container.
Examples
- The ball made a hollow sound when it hit the floor.
- He tapped the wall and heard a hollow sound, so he knew it was not solid.
- The empty hall gave a hollow sound with every step.
hollow voice
1/hˈɑloʊ vˈɔɪs/
fixed phrase
dull, empty-sounding voice
A voice that sounds dull, weak, or as if it comes from an empty space, often showing tiredness or lack of feeling.
Examples
- She spoke in a hollow voice, as if she had given up.
- His hollow voice echoed in the empty hall.
- The message was delivered in a cold, hollow voice.
in the hollow of (someone's) hand
1/ˈɪn ðə hˈɑloʊ əv sˈʌmwˌʌnz hˈænd/
idiom
literary
completely under someone's control
To be completely under someone's control or power, or completely safe because of that person.
Examples
- After the scandal, the media had him in the hollow of their hand.
- With so much data, the company holds its customers in the hollow of its hand.
- The child slept peacefully, his future in the hollow of his parents' hands.
ring hollow
1/ɹˈɪŋ hˈɑloʊ/
idiom
sound false or insincere
If words or a promise 'ring hollow', they sound false or not sincere.
Examples
- After so many delays, their new apology rings hollow.
- His words of support rang hollow when he refused to help in action.
- The company's claims about caring for the environment rang hollow.