hollow

Word family

hol·low1 /ˈhɒləʊ $ ˈhɑː-/ adjectiveadj

1 HOLEempty inside 空心的 having an empty space inside 空（心）的，中空的

a hollow tree

空心树

► see thesaurus at empty

2 hollow eyes/cheeks etc HBHTHIN PERSONeyes etc where the skin sinks inwards 凹陷的双眼/脸颊等

He was short and thin, with hollow eyes.

他又矮又瘦，双眼凹陷。

Examples from the Corpus

hollow eyes/cheeks etc• White-faced, with a three-day-old beard, hollow cheeks and staring eyes, Sikes looked like a ghost.• His hollow eyes have led you to expect something far more ruined.• The hollow eyes on the pillow were filling with tears.• Its flame showed up her hollow cheeks, the haunted eyes.• Even with all this, the hollow cheeks, the scalp withered, you could still see how handsome Hugh had been.• A well-shaped grey head leaned to peer at her out of concerned hollow eyes, whose colour she could not determine.

3 LOW SOUND OR VOICEsound 声音 a hollow sound is low and clear like the sound made when you hit something empty 〔声音〕空洞的，空荡回响的

There was a hollow thump as the cars collided.

车辆相撞时发出了空洞的撞击声。

4 no value 没有价值PRETEND words, events, or people that are hollow have no real worth or value 〔语言、事件或人〕虚假的，无价值的

They won, but it was a hollow victory.

他们赢了，但那是一个没有实际意义的胜利。

Even as he spoke, Ivan was well aware of the hollow ring to his words.

即使是在演讲时，伊万也十分清楚自己的言辞是多么空洞无力。

5. hollow laugh/voice etc EMOTIONALa hollow laugh or voice makes a weak sound and is without emotion 干巴巴的笑声/声音等

—hollowly adverbadv

Sam laughed hollowly.

萨姆虚伪地笑了笑。

—hollowness noun [uncountableU]

Examples from the Corpus

hollow• But there was something hollow about the whole experience.• The walls are made of hollow concrete blocks.• How can I insulate the hollow door?• The hollow eyes on the pillow were filling with tears.• A well-shaped grey head leaned to peer at her out of concerned hollow eyes, whose colour she could not determine.• After all, the only connections between the two were a metal chain and a hollow rubber tube.• But they sounded more hollow than they had done a year earlier, and were certainly less widespread.• hollow threats• The bread should sound hollow when you tap the bottom.

hollow victory• He thought how sorry he felt for Grover, stuck with his hollow victories.• If he had been absent I would have looked upon it as something of a hollow victory.

hollow2 noun [countableC]

1 HOLEa place in something that is at a slightly lower level than its surface 浅坑，凹陷处 SYN dip

Make a slight hollow in the middle of each cake.

在每一块蛋糕中间挖一个浅浅的洞。

Examples from the Corpus

hollow• He built a corral in a hollow across the river and made two small ponies from mud.• Springs had erupted in every hollow, and every path was a rivulet.• His hands whispered over her, light as silk, seeking out every pale hollow and rounded slope.• If the resultant hollow in the neck is really severe it might require a form of heat treatment to rectify the situation.• Fill the hollow with the cream cheese mixture.• Nearly all the men in the hollow were wounded, one man frightfully so, his arm being cut short off.• Down in this hollow the sky seemed darker, the wind colder.

hollow3 verb [transitiveT]

1 to make the surface of something curve inwards 使〔表面〕凹陷

The steps were hollowed by centuries of use.

经过几个世纪的踩踏，台阶上出现了凹痕。

n Grammar

Hollow is usually passive.

2.hollow something ↔ out phrasal verbphr v HOLEto make a hole or empty space by removing the inside part of something 把…挖空[掏空]，使成中空

Examples from the Corpus

hollow• Some horses are naturally more sensitive than others and the rider's weight causes them to hollow and stiffen.• Ask a grown-up to help you hollow out the centre of the carrot.• Are you aware of how we kill and hollow out your relatives?

Origin hollow1

Old English holh “hole, hollow place”