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
The group has slashed hundreds of thousands of jobs and hollowed out foreign aid programs.
—
Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Zoom out: Trump is right that plenty of countries engage in unfair trade practices, and that globalization has hollowed out key parts of America's industrial base, Axios' Zachary Basu reports.
—Erica Pandey, Axios, 5 Apr. 2025
And all three have been hollowed out by mass layoffs at the agency ordered by President Trump and Elon Musk, the billionaire adviser leading the federal government’s cost-cutting efforts.
—Zach Montague, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
The loss of essential, baseload coal power has hollowed out the foundation of America’s power supply.
—Terry Jarrett, Boston Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hollow out
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.
Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Zoom out: Trump is right that plenty of countries engage in unfair trade practices, and that globalization has hollowed out key parts of America's industrial base, Axios' Zachary Basu reports.
—Erica Pandey, Axios, 5 Apr. 2025
And all three have been hollowed out by mass layoffs at the agency ordered by President Trump and Elon Musk, the billionaire adviser leading the federal government’s cost-cutting efforts.
—Zach Montague, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
The loss of essential, baseload coal power has hollowed out the foundation of America’s power supply.
—Terry Jarrett, Boston Herald, 2 Apr. 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 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share