empty

emptyverb

To empty is to take everything out of a container or place, or, for a place, to lose everything that was in it.

1. remove contentstake everything out of a container or place

   transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj]

   • Could you empty the trash, please? V + obj
   • He emptied his pockets and found a few coins. V + obj
   • We emptied the room before we painted it. V + obj

   Collocations

   verb + noun empty the trash, empty your pockets, empty a drawer, empty a glass

   Antonyms fill

2. pour outtake what is in a container out and put it somewhere

   In this use the object can be the container (empty the bag onto the table) or the things in it (empty the water into the sink).

   transitive [T] verb + object + preposition + object [V + obj + prep + obj]

   • She emptied her bag onto the table. V + obj + prep + obj
   • Empty the rice into a large bowl. V + obj + prep + obj
   • He emptied the dirty water down the sink. V + obj + prep + obj

   Collocations

   verb + preposition empty something into something, empty something onto something, empty something down the sink

3. become emptylose all the people or things that were inside

   intransitive [I]

   • The streets emptied as the rain began.
   • After the show, the theater slowly emptied.
   • The office empties quickly on Friday evenings.

   Collocations

   noun + verb the room empties, the streets empty, the stadium empties

   Antonyms fill

4. of a riverflow into a larger area of water

   The subject is a river or a stream.

   intransitive [I] verb + preposition + object [V + prep + obj]

   • The river empties into the sea near the town. V + prep + obj
   • Several small streams empty into the lake. V + prep + obj

   Collocations

   verb + preposition empty into the sea, empty into a lake

   Compare flow