empty

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++emp·ty1 /ˈempti/ ●●● S2 W2 adjective (comparative emptier, superlative emptiest)  1  container 容器EMPTY having nothing inside 空的 an empty box 空盒子 an empty bottle 空瓶子 an empty space behind the desk 书桌后面的空位 The fuel tank’s almost empty. 燃油箱快要空了。2  place 地方EMPTY an empty place does not have any people in it 无人的 I hate coming home to an empty house. 我讨厌回家时屋子里空荡荡的。 The hall was half-empty. 大厅有一半是空的。 The streets were empty. 大街上空无一人。 The building stood empty for several years. 这大楼有好几年没人住了。3  not used 未用的EMPTY not being used by anyone 无人用的，空着的 I spotted an empty table in the corner. 我发现角落里有一张空桌子。 He put his feet on an empty chair. 他把双脚搁在空椅子上。4  person/life 人/生活SAD/UNHAPPY unhappy because nothing in your life seems interesting or important 寂寥的；空虚的 The divorce left him feeling empty and bitter. 离婚使他感到空虚和痛苦。 Her life felt empty and meaningless. 她感到生活既空虚又无聊。5  empty of something not containing a particular type of thing, or not having a particular quality 没有某事物；缺乏某种特性 The beach was almost empty of people. 海滩上几乎没人了。6  empty words/gestures/promises etc PRETENDwords etc that are not sincere, or have no effect 空话/做样子/空头许诺等 His repeated promises to pay them back were just empty words. 他一再答应还钱给他们，但只是说空话而已。7  do something on an empty stomach EATto do something without having eaten any food first 空着肚子做某事 I can’t work properly on an empty stomach. 我饿着肚子就做不好事情。8. empty nest  (also empty nest syndrome)LEAVE A PLACE a situation in which parents become sad because their children have grown up and moved out of their house 空巢(综合征)〔指父母因子女长大离家而难过〕9. empty suit especially American English a politician or manager who does not achieve much or does not have much ability 政绩平平的从政者；能力不强的管理者10  be running on empty to continue doing something even though you no longer have supplies of something you need in order to do it properly 没有了供给[储备]仍在运转 With the country running on empty, the president has no hope of winning the election. 国家已在空转，总统没有希望赢得竞选。 —emptily adverb THESAURUSwith nothing in it or on it 里面或上面没有东西empty used about something that has nothing inside 空的an empty can of hair spray 空的喷发胶罐The fridge is almost empty. 冰箱里几乎什么都没有。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 it 〔计算机屏幕、纸张、唱片等〕空白的，无内容的a blank sheet of paper 一张白纸He stared at the blank screen for a few minutes. 他盯着空白屏幕看了好几分钟。a blank tape 空白磁带bare used about a room or cupboard that has very little in it 〔房间、橱柜〕空的His room was bare except for a bed and a wardrobe. 他房间里除了一张床和一个衣橱，几乎空空如也。hollow used about something that has an empty space inside 空(心)的；中空的a hollow tree 空心树The suitcase had a hollow bottom. 手提箱底部是空心的。with no people 没有人empty used about a place that has no one in it or no one using it 〔地方〕无人(用)的There were no lights on and the house looked empty. 屋子里没开灯，似乎没有人在。the empty streets 空荡荡的街道free used about a seat, space, or room that is available to use because no one else is using it 〔座位、地方或房间〕不在使用的，空着的Is this seat free? 这个座位没人吗？There are never any parking spaces free at this time of day. 每天这个时间从没有空的停车位。vacant used about a room or building that is available for people to pay to use 〔房间、建筑〕空的，未被占用的a vacant apartment 空着的公寓The next guesthouse we tried had a couple of rooms vacant. 我们接下来找的那家家庭旅馆有几间空房。deserted used about a place that is quiet because there is no one there, or because the people who used to be there have left 〔地方〕空寂无人的，被舍弃的a deserted village 荒弃的村庄It was three o'clock in the morning and the streets were deserted. 凌晨3点，街上空寂无人。uninhabited /ˌʌnɪnˈhæbətəd◂/ used about a place that has no people living in it, especially permanently 〔尤指永久性〕无人居住的an uninhabited island 荒岛unoccupied /ʌnˈɒkjəpaɪd $ -ˈɑːk-/ especially written used about a house, room, or office that no one is living in or using at the moment 〔房子、房间或办公室〕未被占用的，空着的unoccupied buildings 空置的大楼Burglaries frequently happen when people are on holiday and their house is unoccupied. 主人外出度假、房屋空着的时候，经常会发生入室盗窃。

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.empty2 ●●○ verb (emptied, emptying, empties)  1  (also empty out) [transitive]PUT to remove everything that is inside something 倒空，倾空 Did you empty the dishwasher? 你把洗碗机腾空了吗？empty something onto/into something Elinor emptied the contents of the envelope onto the table. 埃莉诺把信封里的东西全倒在桌子上。 He emptied out the ashtray. 他倒空了烟灰缸。 Ruth emptied her glass (=drank all the liquid left in it) in one gulp. 露丝将玻璃杯里的东西一饮而尽。2  [intransitive]LEAVE A PLACE if a place empties, everyone leaves it 〔场所〕变空，人全走光 The stores were closing, and the streets began to empty. 商铺陆续关门，街道开始变得空荡荡的。3 empty into something phrasal verb if a river empties into a larger area of water, it flows into it 〔河流〕流入，注入 The Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico. 密西西比河汇入墨西哥湾。→ See Verb table

Examples 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

emp·ty1 adjective →THESAURUS1empty2 verbChineseSyllable  

nothing inside Corpus having

empty

I

emp‧ty¹ S2 W2 /ˈempti/ adjective (comparative emptier, superlative emptiest)1.  CONTAINER having nothing inside:
    an empty box
    an empty bottle
    an empty space behind the desk
    The fuel tank’s almost empty.
2.  PLACE 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 USED not being used by anyone:
    I spotted an empty table in the corner.
    He put his feet on an empty chair.
4.  PERSON/LIFE 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 something not containing a particular type of thing, or not having a particular quality:
    The beach was almost empty of people.
6. empty words/gestures/promises etc words etc that are not sincere, or have no effect:
    His repeated promises to pay them back were just empty words.
7. do something on an empty stomach to do something without having eaten any food first:
    I can’t work properly on an empty stomach.
8. empty nest (also empty nest syndrome) a situation in which parents become sad because their children have grown up and moved out of their house
9. empty suit especially American English a politician or manager who does not achieve much or does not have much ability
10. be running on empty to continue doing something even though you no longer have supplies of something you need in order to do it properly:
    With the country running on empty, the president has no hope of winning the election.
—emptily adverb
     

THESAURUS

■ with nothing in it or on it
   ▪ empty used about something that has nothing inside: an empty can of hair spray | The 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 it: a blank sheet of paper | He stared at the blank screen for a few minutes. | a blank tape
   ▪ bare used about a room or cupboard that has very little in it: His room was bare except for a bed and a wardrobe.
   ▪ hollow used about something that has an empty space inside: a hollow tree | The suitcase had a hollow bottom.
■ with no people
   ▪ empty used about a place that has no one in it or no one using it: There were no lights on and the house looked empty. | the empty streets
   ▪ free used about a seat, space, or room that is available to use because no one else is using it: Is 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 use: a vacant apartment | The 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 left: a deserted village | It was three o'clock in the morning and the streets were deserted.
   ▪ uninhabited /ˌʌnɪnˈhæbətəd◂, ˌʌnɪnˈhæbɪtəd◂/ used about a place that has no people living in it, especially permanently: an uninhabited island
   ▪ unoccupied /ʌnˈɒkjəpaɪd, ʌnˈɒkjʊpaɪd $ -ˈɑːk-/ especially written used about a house, room, or office that no one is living in or using at the moment: unoccupied buildings | Burglaries frequently happen when people are on holiday and their house is unoccupied.

II

empty² verb (past tense and past participle emptied, present participle emptying, third person singular empties)
1. (also empty out) [transitive] 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] if a place empties, everyone leaves it:
    The stores were closing, and the streets began to empty.
     
empty into something phrasal verb
  if a river empties into a larger area of water, it flows into it:
    The Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico.