What does empty mean?
The English adjective "empty" describes something that contains nothing: an empty glass holds no liquid, an empty street has no people, an empty page bears no writing. Its power extends well beyond the literal, however, because English uses it pervasively in figurative senses that signal absence of substance or sincerity. An "empty promise" is one made without any intention of keeping it; "empty words" lack conviction; a person may describe themselves as feeling "empty" to convey emotional hollowness or exhaustion. As a verb, "to empty" means to remove the contents of something — you empty a drawer, a suitcase, or your mind before sleep. As a plural noun, "the empties" informally refers to discarded bottles awaiting return or recycling. The word carries connotations ranging from simple neutrality (an empty chair simply has nobody in it) to poignant negativity (an empty existence suggests futility). Derived forms such as "emptiness" and "empty-handed" extend its reach further, making it one of English's most versatile words for describing absence in all its forms — physical, emotional, and moral.
Containing nothing; not filled or occupied.
"He opened the fridge to find it completely empty."
Also widely used figuratively to mean lacking sincerity, substance, or value.
To remove all the contents of something; to make or become empty.
"She emptied her pockets onto the table."
(Usually in the plural, "empties") An empty container, especially a bottle returned for reuse or recycling.
"Take the empties back to the shop when you go."
Chiefly British and informal.
As a noun, "empty" is used almost exclusively in the plural form "empties", referring to empty bottles or containers, especially ones to be returned or recycled.
"The pub cellar was stacked with crates of empties waiting for collection."
"Empty" once meant the opposite of what you'd expect: it comes from an Old English word for being at leisure, so to be empty was originally to be free of work — not free of things.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of empty
"Empty" descends from the Old English "ǣmettig", which meant not "containing nothing" but rather "at leisure, unoccupied" — formed from "ǣmetta", meaning leisure or rest, built on the Germanic root behind words like "moot" (a meeting) and the modal verb "must". Over the Middle English period the sense shifted from freedom from work or occupation to absence of contents, so that a room "empty" of duties became one empty of anything at all. The semantic journey — from restful idleness to stark vacancy — gives the word an unusually rich history among everyday adjectives.
Related word forms
How empty is actually used
"Empty" is neutral in register and common across formal and informal speech. Figurative uses carry a distinctly negative connotation — an "empty promise" is not merely unfilled but insincere. In British English, "empties" is a well-established informal plural noun for returnable bottles.
Easily confused with empty
"Vacant" describes something available or unoccupied by design (a vacant seat, vacant post), while "empty" emphasizes the absence of contents, people, or substance.