empty
verb/ˈempti/
/ˈempti/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they empty | /ˈempti/ /ˈempti/ |
| he / she / it empties | /ˈemptiz/ /ˈemptiz/ |
| past simple emptied | /ˈemptid/ /ˈemptid/ |
| past participle emptied | /ˈemptid/ /ˈemptid/ |
| -ing form emptying | /ˈemptiɪŋ/ /ˈemptiɪŋ/ |
- [transitive] to remove everything that is in a container, etc.
- empty something She emptied the bins, washed the glasses and went to bed.
- He emptied his glass and asked for a refill.
- empty something out I emptied out my pockets but could not find my keys.
- empty something of something The room had been emptied of all furniture.
- (figurative) She emptied her mind of all thoughts of home.
Extra Examples- He emptied the bottle of its contents.
- The cupboards had all been completely emptied.
- We emptied out the tank.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- completely
- out
- of
- [intransitive] to become empty
- The streets soon emptied when the rain started.
- empty of somebody/something The beach gradually emptied of people.
- empty out The tank empties out in five minutes.
Extra Examples- The streets soon emptied of shoppers.
- The hall half emptied as bored businessmen raced for the buffet tables.
- The room gradually emptied out.
- The cafeteria will empty out quite quickly after they stop serving.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- completely
- quickly
- rapidly
- …
- into
- of
- [transitive] to take out the contents of something and put them somewhere else
- empty something He stepped outside to empty the trash.
- empty something onto something She emptied the contents of her bag onto the table.
- empty something into something Many factories emptied their waste into the river.
- empty something out of something She emptied the water out of the vase.
Extra Examples- He opened his bag and emptied his belongings onto the floor.
- I emptied the orange juice into a jug.
- She emptied out the contents of the jar.
- [transitive] empty something to make sure that everyone leaves a room, building, etc. synonym evacuate
- Police had instructions to empty the building because of a bomb threat.
- [intransitive] to flow or move out from one place to another
- empty into/onto something The Rhine empties into the North Sea.
- empty out into/onto something Fans emptied out onto the streets after the concert.
Extra Examples- The castle had a deep moat which emptied into the lake.
- Water from the underground pipes empties directly into nearby streams.
Word OriginOld English ǣmtig, ǣmetig ‘at leisure, empty’, from ǣmetta ‘leisure’, perhaps from ā ‘no, not’ + mōt ‘meeting’ (see moot).
Check pronunciation:
empty