hollow

CEFRC1

/ˈhɒləʊ/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Having an empty space inside rather than being completely solid.

  2. 02

    noun

    A low area of land between hills.

Examples

  • Rain formed pools in the hollow spaces on the rocks.

  • My life is hollow without him.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
2

Also pronounced

  • /ˈhɒlou/
  • /ˈhɔlo/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. A sunken area on a surface.

  2. An unfilled space in something solid; a cavity, natural or artificial.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. A small valley between mountains.

More examples

In context

  • c. 1710–20, Matthew Prior, The First Hymn Of Callimachus: To Jupiter Forests grew upon the barren hollows.

  • He built himself a cabin in a hollow high up in the Rockies.

  • He held the chick in the hollow of his hand.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The old tree trunk was completely blank inside with no solid wood.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English holow, holowe, holwe, holwȝ, holgh, from Old English holh (“a hollow”), from Proto-West Germanic *holh, from Proto-Germanic *hulhwą, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ḱólḱwos. Cognate with Old High German huliwa and hulwa, Middle High German hülwe. Related to hole.