From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishemptyemp‧ty1 /ˈempti/ ●●● S2 W2 adjective (comparative emptier, superlative emptiest) 1 containerEMPTY having nothing inside an empty box an empty bottle an empty space behind the desk The fuel tank’s almost empty.2 placeEMPTY an empty place does not have any people in it I hate coming home to an empty house. The hall was half-empty. The streets were empty. The building stood empty for several years.3 not usedEMPTY not being used by anyone I spotted an empty table in the corner. He put his feet on an empty chair.4 person/lifeSAD/UNHAPPY unhappy because nothing in your life seems interesting or important The divorce left him feeling empty and bitter. Her life felt empty and meaningless.5 → empty of something6 → empty words/gestures/promises etc7 → do something on an empty stomach8 → empty nest9 → empty suit10 → be running on empty —emptily adverbTHESAURUSwith nothing in it or on itempty used about something that has nothing insidean empty can of hair sprayThe fridge is almost empty.blank used about a computer screen or a piece of paper that has no writing or pictures on it, or a CD, DVD etc with nothing recorded on ita blank sheet of paperHe stared at the blank screen for a few minutes.a blank tapebare used about a room or cupboard that has very little in itHis room was bare except for a bed and a wardrobe.hollow used about something that has an empty space insidea hollow treeThe suitcase had a hollow bottom. with no peopleempty used about a place that has no one in it or no one using itThere were no lights on and the house looked empty.the empty streetsfree used about a seat, space, or room that is available to use because no one else is using itIs this seat free?There are never any parking spaces free at this time of day.vacant used about a room or building that is available for people to pay to usea vacant apartmentThe next guesthouse we tried had a couple of rooms vacant.deserted used about a place that is quiet because there is no one there, or because the people who used to be there have lefta deserted villageIt was three o'clock in the morning and the streets were deserted.uninhabited /ˌʌnɪnˈhæbətəd◂/ used about a place that has no people living in it, especially permanentlyan uninhabited islandunoccupied /ʌnˈɒkjəpaɪd $ -ˈɑːk-/ especially written used about a house, room, or office that no one is living in or using at the momentunoccupied buildingsBurglaries frequently happen when people are on holiday and their house is unoccupied.
Examples from the Corpus
empty• After the divorce, he felt alone and empty.• Is this seat empty?• It was 2 o'clock in the morning and the streets were completely empty.• We've only got one bottle of milk left, and that's half empty.• We were a little worried to find that half the seats in the theatre were empty.• And his pictures were rather empty.• As we did, I looked out in the bleachers, which were totally empty.• Despite a huge investment, they have come up empty.• Large areas of the room were simply empty.• Half the classroom was empty.• I noticed her glass was empty, and offered her some more wine.• I was surprised that the train was half empty at that time of day.• There were two empty beer bottles on the table.• Could you pick up the empty beer cans over there?• an empty canvas with a few red blobs in the centre• The small company of members looked completely dwarfed in the vast, cavernous space of the almost empty concert hall.• He sipped his cocoa and placed the empty cup on his plate.• There was nothing at all in the room except an empty cupboard.• Then I walked across empty fields for some hours until I reached a village.• The house was empty for two months before it was sold.• I hate coming home to an empty house late at night.• They were young children under a sky that was empty of electromagnetic waves.• Police say the shot was fired from an empty office building across the street.• He stared at the empty page. The test was nearly over, and he hadn't managed to answer any of the questions.• My footsteps echoed across the empty room.• They have three empty rooms now that the kids have moved out.• I think there's an empty seat in the back row.empty space• And her once proud position in the royal line, between her husband and father-in-law, is now an empty space.• They did away with the ether 100 years ago or so, and settled for empty space.• Often, you came up with an inch or two of empty space at the bottom of the page.• Said he liked all that empty space on the right.• When he left, she stared at the empty space on the wall where his rosary beads had been.• The air of empty spaces still lingered around her.• Another day we returned to find an empty space where my harmonium should have been.stood empty• After they left, Belvedere saw various periods of use and disuse but, by the 1970s, stood empty.• But old Miss Pritchett had died three months ago and since then the house had stood empty.• But yesterday the magnificent palace stood empty.• The door stood open and the rails stood empty.• Two of the dressing rooms stood empty but the door to Wardrobe had been closed.• Having stood empty for many years, 1987/88 saw the start of considerable renovations and rebuilding.• The hospital was demolished in 1966 after a fire and having stood empty for years.• The ghetto schools were crowded, while hundreds of classrooms stood empty in white schools.feeling empty• But he was left feeling empty.• Gao Ma wolfed down ome leftover rice and walked out on to the sandbar behind his house, till feeling empty inside.• Predictably, feeling empty is given by Pines as a cause of chronic over-eating.• The feeling empties out of my face.• This leaves the person feeling empty - sometimes totally empty.• He drove away feeling emptier than his old vacant building.emptyempty2 ●●○ verb (emptied, emptying, empties) 1 (also empty out) [transitive]PUT to remove everything that is inside something Did you empty the dishwasher?empty something onto/into something Elinor emptied the contents of the envelope onto the table. He emptied out the ashtray. Ruth emptied her glass (=drank all the liquid left in it) in one gulp.2 [intransitive]LEAVE A PLACE if a place empties, everyone leaves it The stores were closing, and the streets began to empty. → empty into something→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
empty• She came up with a routine for visiting the tables, and even managed to empty a few ashtrays.• When we reached Dortmund the carriage emptied, and I was left alone.• By the autumn, the hotels along the sea front were emptying, and the town became quiet again.• On Saturday night, most of the clubs empty at around 3 am.• It was absolutely pouring down as though some one up top was emptying buckets.• "See you, " he called, emptying his glass and making for the door.• The chair against the wall, which was the only thing to come close to helping him empty his mind.• The garbage cans are emptied once a week.• The police made us stand against the wall and told us to empty our pockets.• Alice hurriedly put out the cigarette and got up to empty the ash tray.• Alternatively, you will need to empty the bath and refill it with clean water.• We crept up behind him and emptied the bucket of water over his head.• She emptied the contents of the tin into a pan.• The judge emptied the courtroom when fighting almost broke out between members of the defendant's family.• Paul emptied the glass and washed it.• Could you empty the wastebasket - it's getting pretty full.• Once again masked gunmen appeared, lined up all the passengers, and emptied their pockets of valuables.• You can empty those glasses out in the sink.• Then, next time you go to the toilet, try this stop test half way through emptying your bladder.Origin empty1 Old English æmettig 