empty: Meaning and Definition of

emp•ty

Pronunciation: (emp'tē), [key]
— adj., v., n., pl. -ti•er, -ti•est, -tied, -ty•ing, -ties.
—adj.
  1. containing nothing; having none of the usual or appropriate contents: an empty bottle.
  2. vacant; unoccupied: an empty house.
  3. without cargo or load: an empty wagon.
  4. destitute of people or human activity: We walked along the empty streets of the city at night.
  5. destitute of some quality or qualities; devoid (usually fol. by of&hasp;): Theirs is a life now empty of happiness.
  6. without force, effect, or significance; hollow; meaningless: empty compliments; empty pleasures.
  7. not employed in useful activity or work; idle: empty summer days.
  8. (of a set) containing no elements; null; void.
  9. hungry: I'm feeling rather empty —let's have lunch.
  10. without knowledge or sense; frivolous; foolish: an empty head.
  11. completely spent of emotion: The experience had left him with an empty heart.
—v.t.
  1. to make empty; deprive of contents; discharge the contents of: to empty a bucket.
  2. to discharge (contents): to empty the water out of a bucket.
—v.i.
  1. to become empty: The room emptied rapidly after the lecture.
  2. to discharge contents, as a river: The river empties into the sea.
—n.
  1. something that is empty, as a box, bottle, or can: Throw the empties into the waste bin.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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