empty

Containing no people or things.

• The bottle is empty.
• We walked through the empty streets.
• Is there an empty seat near the window?

Similar words: vacant

Opposites: full

Common phrases: empty bottle, empty room, empty box, empty purse

Without real meaning, honest feeling, or any likely result.

• His apology was just empty words.
• They made empty promises about improving the roads.
• She refused to be frightened by his empty threats.

Similar words: hollow, meaningless, insincere

Opposites: meaningful, sincere

Common phrases: empty words, empty promise, empty threat

To remove everything from inside something.

• Please empty the bin.
• She emptied her bag onto the bed.
• Have you emptied the dishwasher?

How to use it: empty something into/onto something (He emptied the water into the sink.); empty something of something (We emptied the room of furniture.)

Similar words: clear out

Opposites: fill

Common phrases: empty the bin, empty your pockets, empty something out

To flow into another body of water or a final destination.

• The river empties into the sea.
• Several streams empty into this lake.
• The channel emptied into a wide bay.

How to use it: empty into something (The stream empties into the river.)

Similar words: flow, drain

Common phrases: empty into something, empty into the sea

A bottle or other container with nothing left inside after its contents have been used.

• Put that empty in the recycling box.
• We collected the empties after the party.
• The shop gives a refund for each empty.

Common phrases: another empty, return an empty, discard an empty