Definition

Verb: 1. To remove the interior material or substance from something, creating a hollow or empty space within it. This action involves carving, digging, or scooping out the inside of an object, leaving its outer shell or structure intact.

Usage

The verb "hollow out" is transitive and requires a direct object (the thing being made hollow). It describes a deliberate process of excavation or removal. - Basic Construction: to hollow out [something] - It often implies creating a cavity for a specific purpose, such as storage, shelter, or shaping an object.

Examples

• The ancient people used stone tools to hollow out canoes from large logs.
• The woodpecker hollowed out a nest in the side of the tree.
• First, hollow out the loaf of bread to make a bowl for the soup.
• Over centuries, the river hollowed out a deep valley through the mountains.

Advanced Usage

• Figurative Use: While less common, "hollow out" can be used metaphorically to describe the process of removing the essential, valuable, or vital parts from an institution or system, weakening it from within.
  • The new management policies have slowly hollowed out the company's core research department.

Variants and Related Words

• Hollow (verb): A less common, more formal synonym meaning to make hollow. (e.g., )
• Excavate (verb): To dig out and remove material, especially earth. Often used for larger-scale or archaeological digging.
• Gouge (verb): To cut or scoop out material, often forcefully or roughly.
• Core (verb): To remove the central, often inedible, part from a fruit or vegetable (e.g., to core an apple).

Synonyms

• Scoop out
• Gouge out
• Carve out
• Dig out
• Empty out

Phrasal Verbs

Note: "Hollow out" is itself a phrasal verb. It does not typically combine with additional particles to form further phrasal verbs.

Related Idioms

• Hollow out a niche: This phrase extends the figurative use, meaning to create a specialized space or role for oneself within a larger system or market.
  • The small startup managed to hollow out a niche in the competitive software industry.

Verb

1. remove the interior of
   • hollow out a tree trunk