Beat hollow

having a space or cavity inside; not solid; empty:
a hollow sphere.
having a depression or concavity:
a hollow surface.
sunken, as the cheeks or eyes.
(of sound) not resonant; dull, muffled, or deep:
a hollow voice.
without real or significant worth; meaningless:
a hollow victory.
insincere or false:
hollow compliments.
hungry; having an empty feeling:
I feel absolutely hollow, so let’s eat.
an empty space within anything; a hole, depression, or cavity.
a valley:
They took the sheep to graze in the hollow.
Foundry. a concavity connecting two surfaces otherwise intersecting at an obtuse angle.
to make hollow (often followed by out):
to hollow out a log.
to form by making something hollow (often followed by out):
to hollow a place in the sand; boats hollowed out of logs.
to become hollow.
in a hollow manner:
The politician’s accusations rang hollow.
beat all hollow, to surpass or outdo completely:
His performance beat the others all hollow.
Also, beat hollow.
Historical Examples

Im all beat hollow, for Ive been trying to cheer up mother for the last hour.
The Liberty Girl Rena I. Halsey

adjective
having a hole, cavity, or space within; not solid
having a sunken area; concave
recessed or deeply set: hollow cheeks
(of sounds) as if resounding in a hollow place
without substance or validity
hungry or empty
insincere; cynical
a hollow leg, hollow legs, the capacity to eat or drink a lot without ill effects
adverb
(Brit, informal) beat someone hollow, to defeat someone thoroughly and convincingly
noun
a cavity, opening, or space in or within something
a depression or dip in the land
verb often foll by out, usually when tr
to make or become hollow
to form (a hole, cavity, etc) or (of a hole, etc) to be formed
adj.

c.1200, from Old English holh (n.) “hollow place, hole,” from Proto-Germanic *hul-, from PIE *kel- “to cover, conceal” (see cell). The figurative sense of “insincere” is attested from 1520s. Related: Hollowly; hollowness. To carry it hollow “take it completely” is first recorded 1660s, of unknown origin or connection.
v.

late 14c., holowen, from hollow (adj.). Related: Hollowed; hollowing.
n.

“lowland, valley, basin,” 1550s, probably a modern formation from hollow (adj.). Old English had holh (n.) “cave, den; internal cavity.”

Related Terms

beat all hollow
see under beat the pants off
see: beat the pants off (hollow)