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
According to the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, it's believed to be about 4,000 years old and hollowed out by splashing waves when water levels were much higher.
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USA Today, 11 June 2025
Few legacy news organizations in New York and Washington, D.C., at the time chronicled the hollowing out of communities and the long-term effects on those left behind.
—Salena Zito, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025
The result is a hollowing out of organizational resilience.
—Solange Charas, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
The bill included roughly $50 billion to revitalize the U.S. semiconductor industry, which had been hollowed out over decades as manufacturing migrated overseas.
—Nikita Lalwani, Foreign Affairs, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hollow out
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USA Today, 11 June 2025
Few legacy news organizations in New York and Washington, D.C., at the time chronicled the hollowing out of communities and the long-term effects on those left behind.
—Salena Zito, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025
The result is a hollowing out of organizational resilience.
—Solange Charas, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
The bill included roughly $50 billion to revitalize the U.S. semiconductor industry, which had been hollowed out over decades as manufacturing migrated overseas.
—Nikita Lalwani, Foreign Affairs, 22 May 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 18 Jun. 2025.
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