emp·ty
(ĕmṕtē)
[Middle English, from Old English ǣmtig, vacant, unoccupied, from ǣmetta, leisure.]
adjective: -ti·er, -ti·est.
- Holding or containing nothing.
- Mathematics Having no elements or members; null: an empty set.
- Having no occupants or inhabitants; vacant: an empty chair; empty desert.
- Lacking force or power: an empty threat.
- Lacking purpose or substance; meaningless: an empty life.
- Not put to use; idle: empty hours.
- Needing nourishment; hungry: “More fierce and more inexorable far/Than empty tigers or the roaring sea” (Shakespeare)
- Devoid; destitute: empty of pity.
verb: -tied, -ty·ing, -ties.
transitive verb
- To remove the contents of: emptied the dishwasher.
- To transfer or pour off completely: empty the ashes into a pail.
- To unburden; relieve: empty oneself of doubt.
intransitive verb
- To become empty: The theater emptied after the performance.
- To discharge its contents: The river empties into a bay.
noun: pl., -ties.
Informal- An empty container.
derivatives
- emṕti·ly
- adverb
- emṕti·ness
- noun
synonyms:
empty, vacant, blank, void, vacuous, bare1barren These adjectives mean without contents that could or should be present. Empty applies to what is wholly lacking contents or substance: an empty room; empty promises. Vacant refers to what is without an occupant or incumbent, or to what is without intelligence or thought: a vacant auditorium; a vacant stare. Blank stresses the absence of something, especially on a surface, that would convey meaning or content: blank pages. Void applies to what is free from or completely destitute of discernible content: gibberish void of all meaning. Vacuous describes what is as devoid of substance as a vacuum is: led a vacuous life. Something that is bare lacks surface covering ( a bare head ) or detail ( the bare facts ); the word also denotes the condition of being stripped of contents or furnishings: a bare closet. Barren literally and figuratively stresses lack of productivity: barren land; writing barren of insight.- See also: vain
