hollow out

/ˌhɑloʊ aʊt/

Other forms: hollowed out; hollowing out; hollows out

To hollow out is to scoop or otherwise remove the insides of something. To build a cave, you'll have to hollow out the earth in the side of a hill.

During war, soldiers sometimes hollow out trenches they can crouch in for protection from gunfire. Animals, including woodpeckers and several types of insects, also hollow out protective areas for themselves, often from dead wood in trees. And some kinds of drums are also made by hollowing out a piece of wood. Hollow has an Old English root, holh, "hole or hollow place."

Definitions of hollow out

1. verb

   remove the interior of
   synonyms: core out, hollow

   types:

   gouge, rout

   make a groove in

   scallop, scollop

   form scallops in

   hole

   make holes in

   draw in, suck in

   draw in as if by suction

   scoop out

   hollow out with a scoop

   cavern, cavern out

   hollow out as if making a cavern

   cave, undermine

   hollow out as if making a cave or opening

   dig, dig out

   create by digging

   excavate

   form by hollowing

   core

   remove the core or center from

   sap

   excavate the earth beneath

   lift

   take (root crops) out of the ground

   trench

   dig a trench or trenches

   dibble

   make a hole with a wooden hand tool

   type of:

   empty

   make void or empty of contents