Containing nothing; not holding or having anything within; void of contents or appropriate contents; not filled; -- said of an inclosure, or a container, as a box, room, house, etc.; as, an empty chest, room, purse, or pitcher; an empty stomach; empty shackles. [1913 Webster]
Free; clear; devoid; -- often with of. Milton. [1913 Webster]
"I shall find you empty of that fault." [1913 Webster]
Having nothing to carry; unburdened. Shak. [1913 Webster]
"When ye go ye shall not go empty." [1913 Webster]
Destitute of effect, sincerity, or sense; -- said of language; as, empty words, or threats. [1913 Webster]
"Words are but empty thanks." [1913 Webster]
Unable to satisfy; unsatisfactory; hollow; vain; -- said of pleasure, the world, etc. [1913 Webster]
"Pleas'd in the silent shade with empty praise." [1913 Webster]
Producing nothing; unfruitful; -- said of a plant or tree; as, an empty vine. [1913 Webster]
"Seven empty ears blasted with the east wind." [1913 Webster]
Destitute of, or lacking, sense, knowledge, or courtesy; as, empty brains; an empty coxcomb. [1913 Webster]
"That in civility thou seem'st so empty." [1913 Webster]
Destitute of reality, or real existence; unsubstantial; as, empty dreams. [1913 Webster]
" Empty is used as the first element in a compound; as, empty-handed, having nothing in the hands, destitute; empty-headed, having few ideas; empty-hearted, destitute of feeling."

Syn. -- See Vacant.

empty, n.

An empty box, crate, cask, etc.; -- used in commerce, esp. in transportation of freight; as, “special rates for empties.” [1913 Webster]

empty, v. t.

To deprive of the contents; to exhaust; to make void or destitute; to make vacant; to pour out; to discharge; as, to empty a vessel; to empty a well or a cistern. [1913 Webster]

"The clouds . . . empty themselves upon the earth." [1913 Webster]

empty, v. i.

To discharge itself; as, a river empties into the ocean. [1913 Webster]
To become empty. B. Jonson. [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

empty, adj., v., & n.
--adj. (emptier, emptiest)
1 containing nothing.
2 (of a house etc.) unoccupied or unfurnished.
3 (of a transport vehicle etc.) without a load, passengers, etc.
4 a meaningless, hollow, insincere (empty threats; an empty gesture). b without substance or purpose (an empty existence).
5 colloq. hungry.
6 (foll. by of) devoid, lacking.
--v. (-ies, -ied)
1 tr. a make empty; remove the contents of. b (foll. by of) deprive of certain contents (emptied the room of its chairs).
2 tr. (often foll. by into) transfer (the contents of a container).
3 intr. become empty.
4 intr. (usu. foll. by into) (of a river) discharge itself (into the sea etc.).
--n. (pl. -ies) colloq. a container (esp. a bottle) left empty of its contents.

Idiom

empty-handed
1 bringing or taking nothing.
2 having achieved or obtained nothing. empty-headed foolish; lacking common sense. empty-nester US either of a couple whose children have grown up and left home. on an empty stomach see STOMACH.

Derivative

emptily adv. emptiness n.

Etymology

OE {aelig}mtig, {aelig}metig f. {aelig}metta leisure

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THESAURUS

empty

abandoned, absurd, aimless, airy, apparently sound, arid, asinine, awkward, banal, bare, barren, baseless, blah, bland, blank, blankminded, bleached, bleed, bloodless, blow, blow out, bootless, broach, callow, calm, cast out, casuistic, catchpenny, characterless, cheap, clean, clean out, clear, clear away, clear off, clear out, clear the decks, cold, colorable, colorless, counterproductive, dead, deadpan, decant, deceptive, defecate, deplete, depleted, deserted, designless, desolate, destitute, destitute of, devoid, devoid of, discharge, dishonest, disingenuous, dismal, dog-hungry, draft, draft off, draggy, drain, drain out, drained, draw, draw from, draw off, drearisome, dreary, dry, dryasdust, dull, dumb, dump, dusty, effete, eject, elephantine, eliminate, emptied, empty of, empty out, empty-headed, empty-minded, empty-pated, empty-skulled, etiolated, evacuate, exhaust, exhausted, expressionless, fade, fallacious, famished, famishing, fasting, fatuitous, fatuous, featureless, feckless, find vent, fishy, flat, flimsy, flow, flow out, foolish, forsaken, fribble, fribbling, frivolous, frothy, fruitless, futile, garbled, gauche, glassy, godforsaken, green, groping, groundless, gush, gush out, half-famished, half-starved, heavy, ho-hum, hollow, hungering, hungry, hypocritical, idle, ignorant, ill-founded, illusive, impassive, importless, in want of, inadequate, inane, incogitant, ineffective, ineffectual, inefficacious, inexcitable, inexcusable, inexperienced, inexpressive, innocent, inoperative, insignificant, insincere, insipid, insubstantial, invalid, jejune, jesuitic, jet, know-nothing, leaden, let, let blood, let out, lifeless, light, low-spirited, mealymouthed, meaningless, milk, naive, nescient, new, nirvanic, nonconnotative, nondenotative, nugacious, nugatory, null, null and void, oblivious, of no force, otiose, outflow, outpour, overrefined, oversubtle, pale, pallid, paltry, passive, peckish, pedestrian, petty, phatic, philosophistic, phlebotomize, pinched with hunger, pipette, plausible, plodding, pointless, poker-faced, poky, ponderous, pour, pour out, pump, pump out, purge, purportless, purposeless, put out, quietistic, rattlebrained, rattleheaded, ravening, ravenous, raw, relaxed, remove, run out, sans, scatterbrained, scour out, scrambled, senseless, shallow, sharp-set, silly, simple, siphon off, slender, slight, slow, sluice out, solemn, sophistic, sophistical, specious, spent, spew out, spiritless, spout, spout out, spurt, stark, starved, starving, sterile, stiff, stodgy, strange to, stuffy, stupid, suck, suck out, superficial, superfluous, supernumerary, surge, surplus, sweep out, take away, take out, tap, tasteless, tedious, tentative, thoughtfree, thoughtless, throw out, tongue in cheek, tranquil, trifling, trite, trivial, unacquainted, unadorned, unapprized, unavailing, unbased, uncandid, unclog, uncomprehending, unconversant, undecorated, unenlightened, unexpressive, unfamiliar, unfilled, unfoul, unfounded, unfrank, ungrounded, unideaed, unilluminated, uninformed, uninhabitable, uninhabited, uninitiated, unintellectual, unintelligent, unknowing, unlively, unload, unmeaning, unoccupied, unposted, unreasoning, unrelieved, unripe, unsatisfying, unserious, unsignificant, unsupportable, unsupported, unsure, unsustainable, unsustained, untenable, untenanted, unthinking, unused, unversed, unwarranted, useless, vacant, vacate, vacuous, vain, valueless, vapid, venesect, vent, void, vomit forth, voracious, wanting, waste, well, well out, white, wild, windy, with nothing inside, without, without basis, without content, without foundation, wolfish, wooden, worthless

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ROGET THESAURUS

empty

Unsubstantiality

N unsubstantiality, insubstantiality, nothingness, nihility, no degree, no part, no quantity, no thing, nothing, naught, nil, nullity, zero, cipher, no one, nobody, never a one, ne'er a one, no such thing, none in the world, nothing whatever, nothing at all, nothing on earth, not a particle, all talk, moonshine, stuff and nonsense, matter of no importance, matter of no consequence, thing of naught, man of straw, John Doe and Richard Roe, faggot voter, nominis umbra, nonentity, flash in the pan, vox et praeterea nihil, shadow, phantom, dream, ignis fatuus, such stuff as dreams are made of, air, thin air, vapor, bubble, baseless fabric of a vision, mockery, hollowness, blank, void, inanity, fool's paradise, unsubstantial, baseless, groundless, ungrounded, without foundation, having no foundation, visionary, immaterial, spectral, dreamy, shadowy, ethereal, airy, cloud built, cloud formed, gossamery, illusory, insubstantial, unreal, vacant, vacuous, empty, eviscerated, blank, hollow, nominal, null, inane, there's nothing in it, an ocean of dreams without a sound.

Waste

VB spend, expend, use, consume, swallow up, exhaust, impoverish, spill, drain, empty, disperse, cast away, fool away, muddle away, throw away, fling away, fritter away, burn the candle at both ends, waste, squander, waste its sweetness on the desert air, cast one's bread upon the waters, cast pearls before swine, employ a steam engine to crack a nut, waste powder and shot, break a butterfly on a wheel, labor in vain, cut blocks with a razor, pour water into a sieve, leak, run to waste, ebb, melt away, run dry, dry up.

Insufficiency

N insufficiency, inadequacy, inadequateness, incompetence, deficiency, imperfection, shortcoming, paucity, stint, scantiness, none to spare, bare subsistence, scarcity, dearth, want, need, lack, poverty, exigency, inanition, starvation, famine, drought, dole, mite, pittance, short allowance, short commons, half rations, banyan day, emptiness, poorness, depletion, vacancy, flaccidity, ebb tide, low water, a beggarly account of empty boxes, indigence, insolvency, drain of resources, impoverish, stint, put on short allowance, do insufficiently, scotch the snake, Adj, insufficient, inadequate, too little, not enough, unequal to, incompetent, weighed in the balance and found wanting, perfunctory, deficient, wanting imperfect, ill-furnished, ill-provided, ill- stored, ill-off, slack, at a low ebb, empty, vacant, bare, short of, out of, destitute of, devoid of, bereft of, denuded of, dry, drained, unprovided, unsupplied, unfurnished, unreplenished, unfed, unstored, untreasured, empty-handed, meager, poor, thin, scrimp, sparing, spare, stinted, starved, starving, halfstarved, famine-stricken, famished, jejune, scant, scarce, not to be had, not to be had for love or money, not to be had at any price, scurvy, stingy, at the end of one's tether, without resources, in want, in debt, insufficiently, in default of, for want of, failing, semper avarus eget.

Inutility

N inutility, uselessness, inefficacy, futility, ineptitude, inaptitude, unsubservience, inadequacy, inefficiency, unskillfulness, disservice, unfruitfulness (unproductiveness), labor in vain, labor lost, labor of Sisyphus, lost trouble, lost labor, work of Penelope, sleeveless errand, wild goose chase, mere farce, tautology, supererogation, vanitas vanitatum, vanity, inanity, worthlessness, nugacity, triviality, caput mortuum, waste paper, dead letter, blunt tool, litter, rubbish, junk, lumber, odds and ends, cast-off clothes, button top, shoddy, rags, orts, trash, refuse, sweepings, scourings, offscourings, waste, rubble, debris, detritus, stubble, leavings, broken meat, dregs, weeds, tares, rubbish heap, dust hole, rudera, deads, fruges consumere natus, useless, inutile, inefficacious, futile, unavailing, bootless, inoperative, inadequate, inservient, unsubservient, inept, inefficient, of no avail, ineffectual, incompetent, stale, flat and unprofitable, superfluous, dispensable, thrown away, abortive, worthless, valueless, priceless, unsalable, not worth a straw, dear at any price, vain, empty, inane, gainless, profitless, fruitless, unserviceable, unprofitable, ill-spent, unproductive, hors de combat, effete, past work, obsolete, fit for the dust hole, good for nothing, of no earthly use, not worth having, not worth powder and shot, leading to no end, uncalled for, unnecessary, unneeded, uselessly, to little purpose, to no purpose, to little or no purpose, Int, cui bono?, what's the good!, actum ne agas, chercher une aiguille dans une botte de foin, tanto buon che val niente.

Displacement

VB displace, misplace, displant, dislodge, disestablish, exile, ablegate, set aside, remove, take away, cart away, take off, draft off, lade, unload, empty, transfer, dispel, vacate, depart.

Absence

N absence, inexistence, nonresidence, absenteeism, nonattendance, alibi, emptiness, void, vacuum, vacuity, vacancy, tabula rasa, exemption, hiatus, lipotype, truant, absentee, nobody, nobody present, nobody on earth, not a soul, ame qui vive, absent, not present, away, nonresident, gone, from home, missing, lost, wanting, omitted, nowhere to be found, inexistence, empty, void, vacant, vacuous, untenanted, unoccupied, uninhabited, tenantless, barren, sterile, desert, deserted, devoid, uninhabitable, without, minus, nowhere, elsewhere, neither here nor there, in default of, sans, behind one's back, the bird has flown, non est inventus, absence makes the heart grow fonder, absent in body but present in spirit, absento nemo ne nocuisse velit, Achilles absent was Achilles still, aux absents les os, briller par son absence, conspicuous by his absence, in the hope to meet shortly again and make our abs.

Ejection

VB give exit, give vent to, let out, give out, pour out, squeeze out, send out, dispatch, despatch, exhale, excern, excrete, embogue, secrete, secern, extravasate, shed, void, evacuation, emit, open the sluices, open the floodgates, turn on the tap, extrude, detrude, effuse, spend, expend, pour forth, squirt, spirt, spurt, spill, slop, perspire, breathe, blow, tap, draw off, bale out, lade out, let blood, broach, eject, reject, expel, discard, cut, send to coventry, boycott, chasser, banish, bounce, fire, fire out, throw, throw out, throw up, throw off, throw away, throw aside, push, throw out, throw off, throw away, throw aside, shovel out, shovel away, sweep out, sweep away, brush off, brush away, whisk off, whisk away, turn off, turn away, send off, send away, discharge, send adrift, turn adrift, cast adrift, turn out, bundle out, throw overboard, give the sack to, send packing, send about one's business, send to the right about, strike off the roll, turn out neck and heels, turn out head and shoulders, turn out neck and crop, pack off, send away with a flea in the ear, send to Jericho, bow out, show the door to, turn out of doors, turn out of house and home, evict, oust, unhouse, unkennel, dislodge, unpeople, dispeople, depopulate, relegate, deport, empty, drain to the dregs, sweep off, clear off, clear out, clear away, suck, draw off, clean out, make a clean sweep of, clear decks, purge, embowel, disbowel, disembowel, eviscerate, gut, unearth, root out, root up, averuncate, weed out, get out, eliminate, get rid of, do away with, shake off, exenterate, vomit, throw up, regurgitate, spew, puke, keck, retch, heave, upchuck, chuck up, barf, belch out, cast up, bring up, be sick, get sick, worship the porcelain god, disgorge, expectorate, clear the throat, hawk, spit, sputter, splutter, slobber, drivel, slaver, slabber, eructate, drool, unpack, unlade, unload, unship, offload, break bulk, dump, be let out, spew forth, erupt, ooze.

Ignorance

N ignorance, nescience, tabula rasa, crass ignorance, ignorance crasse, unfamiliarity, unacquaintance, unconsciousness, darkness, blindness, incomprehension, inexperience, simplicity, unknown quantities, x, y, z, sealed book, terra incognita, virgin soil, unexplored ground, dark ages, smattering, sciolism, glimmering, dilettantism, bewilderment, incapacity, pedantry, charlatanry, charlatism, Philister, Philistine, ignorant, nescient, unknowing, unaware, unacquainted, unapprised, unapprized, unwitting, unweeting, unconscious, witless, weetless, a stranger to, unconversant, uninformed, uncultivated, unversed, uninstructed, untaught, uninitiated, untutored, unschooled, misguided, unenlightened, Philistine, behind the age, shallow, superficial, green, rude, empty, half-learned, illiterate, unread, uninformed, uneducated, unlearned, unlettered, unbookish, empty-headed, dizzy, wooly-headed, pedantic, in the dark, benighted, belated, blinded, blindfolded, hoodwinked, misinformed, au bout de son latin, at the end of his tether, at fault, at sea, caught tripping, unknown, unapprehended, unexplained, unascertained, uninvestigated, unexplored, unheard of, not perceived, concealed, novel, ignorantly, unawares, for anything, for aught one knows, not that one knows, Int, God knows, Heaven knows, the Lord knows, who knows, nobody knows, ignorance never settles a question, quantum animis erroris inest!, small Latin and less Greek, that unlettered small-knowing soul, there is no darkness but ignorance.

See related words and definitions of word "empty" in Indonesian