Hollow - English meaning

noun

A bowl for washing, typically attached to a wall and having taps connected to a water supply; a washbasin.

Usage examples:

‘i liked the traditional idea of washing with a basin and ewer,’ he reflects.

noun

An open, round container shaped like a bowl with sloping sides, used for holding food or liquid

Usage examples:

A pudding basin

noun

The amount of something that a basin can hold

Usage examples:

A basin of water

adjective

(of a task or undertaking) ineffectual; useless.

Usage examples:

Remonstrating with him seems ever to have been a bootless task

adjective

Not successful or effective

Usage examples:

I wasted many hours on this bootless search., it is bootless to argue with someone who refuses to l…

adjective

Not wearing boots

Usage examples:

He sat there hatless and bootless., i looked down at my bootless feet.

noun

A natural underground chamber in a hillside or cliff.

Usage examples:

The narrow gorge contains a series of prehistoric caves

verb

Explore caves as a sport.

Usage examples:

They say they cave for the adventure, challenge, and physical exercise

exclamation

(among children) look out!

noun

A large cave or chamber in a cave.

Usage examples:

The cavern is a natural cave carved into the rock by the sea, and widened into an underground canal…

noun

A large cave

noun

An empty space within a solid object.

Usage examples:

The abdominal cavity

noun

A hole in a surface or a hollow inside something

Usage examples:

The abdominal/chest cavity

noun

A hole, or an empty space between two surfaces

Usage examples:

The gold was hidden in a secret cavity.

noun

A length of water wider than a strait, joining two larger areas of water, especially two seas.

Usage examples:

The bay includes saltmarsh, shallow and open water, tidal channels, mudflats and numerous islands, …

verb

Direct towards a particular end or object.

Usage examples:

The council is to channel public funds into training schemes

noun

A passage for water or other liquids to flow along, or a part of a river or other area of water that is deep and wide enough to provide a route for ships to travel along

Usage examples:

The english channel, she switched to another channel to watch the news., we’ve established a regula…

noun

The state or quality of being concave.

Usage examples:

The concavity of her stomach

noun

The quality of curving in, or an object or surface that curves in

Usage examples:

The valley looks utterly serene now - a spacious concavity lying between pine-clad peaks., there is…

noun

A small, narrow space or opening.

Usage examples:

Bugs and spiders conceal themselves in crannies of the bark

noun

A small, narrow opening in something solid

Usage examples:

There were small plants growing in every nook and cranny of the wall.

noun

A large bowl-shaped cavity in the ground or on a celestial object, typically one caused by an explosion or the impact of a meteorite.

Usage examples:

The blast left a crater in the car park

verb

Form a crater in (the ground or a planet).

Usage examples:

Pilots returned to the airfields to crater the runways

proper noun

A small and faint southern constellation (the cup), between hydra and leo, said to represent the goblet of apollo.

phrasal verb

Form and create by cutting out

noun

A piece of card cut into a particular shape, especially the shape of a person with a large photograph of that person on it

Usage examples:

He had his picture taken with a lifesize cardboard cutout of the president., his characters are car…

noun

A slight hollow in a hard even surface made by a blow or pressure.

Usage examples:

There was a hideous dent in the front passenger door

verb

Mark with a dent.

Usage examples:

He hit a concrete bollard, denting the wing

noun

A small, hollow mark in the surface of something caused by pressure or being hit

Usage examples:

She ran into my car and put a dent in it., i dented the table with my hammer.

noun

Feelings of severe despondency and dejection.

Usage examples:

Self-doubt creeps in and that swiftly turns to depression

noun

A feeling of sadness, or medical a type of mental illness that causes long periods of unhappiness

Usage examples:

I’m just beginning to get over the depression from losing my job., medical tiredness, loss of appet…

noun

A recession (= time of low economic activity, when investments lose value, businesses fail and people lose their jobs) that lasts for a long period of time, usually several years

Usage examples:

Plunge/slide into depression the thirties saw the world plunge into depression., the wall street cr…

noun

A small depression in the flesh, either one that exists permanently or one that forms in the cheeks when one smiles.

Usage examples:

This month i have memorized the curve of your smile, the dimples in your cheeks and forehead, the p…

verb

Produce a dimple or dimples in the surface of.

Usage examples:

Rain began to fall, dimpling the water

noun

A small hollow place, esp. in a person’s face and usually considered attractive

Usage examples:

He has a dimple in his chin., dimpled cheeks

noun

A dent or hollow in a surface.

Usage examples:

The soft dints at the top of a coconut

verb

Mark (a surface) with dents or hollows.

Usage examples:

The metal was dull and dinted

noun

If something is done by dint of something else, it is done as a result of that thing

Usage examples:

She achieved her success by dint of hard work.

verb

Put or let something down quickly or briefly in or into (liquid).

Usage examples:

He dipped a brush in the paint

noun

A brief swim.

Usage examples:

They cooled off by taking a dip in the pool

abbreviation

Document image processing, a system for the digital storage and retrieval of documents as scanned images.

noun

A shallow, flat-bottomed container for cooking or serving food.

Usage examples:

An ovenproof dish

verb

Gossip or share information, especially information of an intimate or scandalous nature.

Usage examples:

Groups gather to brag about babies and dish about romances

noun

A piece of dishware normally used as a container for holding or serving food

adjective

Containing nothing; not filled or occupied.

Usage examples:

She put down her empty cup

verb

Remove all the contents of (a container).

Usage examples:

We empty the till at closing time

noun

A bottle or glass left empty of its contents.

Usage examples:

The barman collected the empties

verb

Make (a hole or channel) by digging.

Usage examples:

The cheapest way of doing this was to excavate a long trench

verb

To dig a hole or channel in the ground, or to make a hole or channel by removing earth

Usage examples:

[ i ] we’ll be excavating here for the foundation of the building., [ t ] archaeologists are excava…

verb

To remove earth that is covering very old objects buried in the ground in order to discover things about the past

Usage examples:

Ice age bones are being excavated in the caves.

adjective

Failing to achieve the desired results; unproductive or useless.

Usage examples:

His fruitless attempts to publish poetry

adjective

Unsuccessful or not productive

Usage examples:

After months of fruitless negotiations with team owners, the city withdrew its offer to build a new…

adjective

If an action or attempt to do something is fruitless, it is unsuccessful or produces nothing of value

Usage examples:

All diplomatic attempts at a peaceful solution to the crisis have been fruitless.

adjective

Incapable of producing any useful result; pointless.

Usage examples:

A futile attempt to keep fans from mounting the stage

adjective

Achieving no result; not effective or successful

Usage examples:

The plane detoured north in a futile attempt to avoid the bad weather., a sense of futility and pow…

adjective

(of actions) having no effect or achieving nothing

Usage examples:

Attempts to get supplies to the region are futile because troops will not allow the aid convoy to e…

noun

A hollow place in a solid body or surface.

Usage examples:

The dog had dug a hole in the ground

verb

Make a hole or holes in.

Usage examples:

A fuel tank was holed by the attack and a fire started

noun

An empty space in an object, usually with an opening to the object's surface, or an opening that goes completely through an object

Usage examples:

Dig a hole we dug a hole and planted the tree., hole in my jumper's got a hole in it., drill a hole…

noun

The action of indenting or the state of being indented.

Usage examples:

Paragraphs are marked off by indentation

noun

A part of a surface that curves inward

Usage examples:

If a surgeon takes out too much fat, he may leave indentations in the skin.

noun

A hole or mark on the surface of something

Usage examples:

The heels of her shoes had left indentations in the mud.

adjective

Having no meaning or significance.

Usage examples:

The paragraph was a jumble of meaningless words

adjective

Without representing or expressing anything; without referring to someone or something

Usage examples:

The leaflet was full of meaningless information., a meaningless gesture

noun

A comfortable or suitable position in life or employment.

Usage examples:

He is now a partner at a leading law firm and feels he has found his niche

adjective

Denoting products, services, or interests that appeal to a small, specialized section of the population.

Usage examples:

Other companies in this space had to adapt to being niche players

verb

Place (something) in a niche or recess.

Usage examples:

These elements were niched within the shadowy reaches

noun

A corner or recess, especially one offering seclusion or security.

Usage examples:

The nook beside the fire

noun

A small space that is hidden or partly sheltered

idiom

To not be useful, helpful, or possible

Usage examples:

His advice turned out to be no use at all., there is no use (in) there is no use (in) arguing any m…

noun

A large hole in the ground.

Usage examples:

I do not see any risk of these pits becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

verb

Set someone or something in conflict or competition with.

Usage examples:

You'll get the chance to pit your wits against the world champions

verb

Remove the pit from (fruit).

Usage examples:

Leave some cherries whole so people can see later on how hard you worked pitting real cherries.

adjective

Having little or no sense, use, or purpose.

Usage examples:

Speculating like this is a pointless exercise

adjective

Having no useful purpose

Usage examples:

A pointless argument, the trip seemed pointless.

adjective

Without benefit or advantage; pointless.

Usage examples:

A long and profitless public row

adjective

(of a victory) won at too great a cost to have been worthwhile for the victor.

Usage examples:

The best they can hope for is a pyrrhic victory

noun

A metrical foot of two short or unaccented syllables.

adjective

Relating to a victory that is not worth winning because the winner has lost so much in winning it

Usage examples:

Disraeli's personal triumph was very much a pyrrhic one for his party., the memo admitted that this…

noun

A small space created by building part of a wall further back from the rest.

Usage examples:

A table set into a recess

verb

Attach (a fitment) by setting it back into the wall or surface to which it is fixed.

Usage examples:

The lights are going to be recessed into the ceiling

noun

A period of time in which an organized activity such as study or work is temporarily stopped

Usage examples:

Congress returns from its august recess next week., after lunch, the kids have recess., he pointed …

noun

A long, narrow open container for animals to eat or drink out of.

Usage examples:

A water trough

verb

Eat greedily.

Usage examples:

The culprit turned out to be my dog, caught red-handed troughing into the berries when she thought …

noun

A narrow, open box to hold water or food for animals

Usage examples:

Investors have to live through stock market troughs.

adjective

Achieving little or nothing; ineffective.

Usage examples:

Their efforts were unavailing

adjective

When an attempt to do something is unavailing, it is unsuccessful or has no positive effect

Usage examples:

Diplomatic efforts at peace-making have so far proved unavailing.

adjective

Not filled.

Usage examples:

There are a number of unfilled posts in this area of nursing

adjective

An unfilled job or position has no one doing or holding it

Usage examples:

Mccaffrey's job remains unfilled., all the hospitals in the area have unfilled positions right now.

adjective

Not fulfilling or not expected to achieve the intended purpose or desired outcome.

Usage examples:

A piece of useless knowledge

adjective

Of no value; worthless

Usage examples:

With dead batteries, the flashlight was useless.

adjective

(of a place) not occupied; empty.

Usage examples:

40 per cent of the offices are still vacant

adjective

Having no value; worthless.

Usage examples:

Cherished but valueless heirlooms

adjective

Not worth any money

Usage examples:

We thought the chair was an antique worth a lot of money, but it turned out to be a valueless repli…

adjective

Not valid or legally binding.

Usage examples:

The contract was void

noun

A completely empty space.

Usage examples:

The black void of space

verb

Declare that (something) is not valid or legally binding.

Usage examples:

The supreme court voided the statute

adjective

Having no real value or use.

Usage examples:

That promise is worthless

adjective

Having no value in money

Usage examples:

Now that the company has gone bankrupt, your contract is worthless., examples of this artist’s earl…

adjective

Having no value

Usage examples:

The stock is virtually worthless, trading at less than 6 cents a share., the security system he bou…