use-icon

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

use-icon

THE USAGE PANEL

The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.

The Panelists

open-icon

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.

scroll-icon

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.

100-words-icon

See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series!

Find out more!

open-icon

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com

emp·ty (ĕmptē)
Share:
adj. emp·ti·er, emp·ti·est
1.
a. Having nothing inside or on the surface; holding or containing nothing: an empty bag; an empty lot.
b. Mathematics Having no elements or members; null: an empty set.
2.
a. Having no occupants; not being used: an empty chair.
b. Not having an incumbent or occupant; unfilled: an empty post at the embassy.
c. Not put to purposeful use; idle: empty hours.
3. Lacking force or power: an empty threat.
4. Lacking purpose or substance; meaningless: an empty life.
5. Needing nourishment; hungry: "More fierce and more inexorable far / Than empty tigers or the roaring sea" (Shakespeare).
6. Devoid; destitute: empty of pity.
v. emp·tied, emp·ty·ing, emp·ties
v.tr.
1. To remove the contents of: emptied the dishwasher.
2. To transfer or pour off completely: empty the ashes into a pail.
3. To unburden; relieve: empty oneself of doubt.
v.intr.
1. To become empty: The theater emptied after the performance.
2. To discharge its contents: The river empties into a bay.
n. pl. emp·ties
Informal
An empty container.

[Middle English, from Old English ǣmtig, vacant, unoccupied, from ǣmetta, leisure; see med- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

empti·ly adv.
empti·ness n.

Synonyms: empty, vacant, blank, void, vacuous
These adjectives mean without contents that could or should be present. Empty is the broadest and can apply to what lacks contents (an empty box), occupants (an empty seat), or substance (an empty promise). Vacant has a similar range of application, including lacking an occupant (a vacant auditorium), an incumbent (a vacant position), or something useful or substantial (a vacant lot); it can also refer to what is without intelligence or expression (a vacant stare). Blank applies specifically to the absence of writing or images on a surface (a blank page; a blank screen) and can extend to a lack of awareness or understanding (a blank look). Void emphasizes the utter degree to which something is lacking, whether physical (a planet void of life) or intangible (a humdrum performance void of spirit or energy). Vacuous describes what is lacking in substance, interest, or intelligence (vacuous entertainment; a vacuous personality). See Also Synonyms at vain.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.