empty shell
ˈɛmpti ʃɛl
empty shell: outer covering left after contents are removed
Images
Definition Synonyms

Definition of empty shell - Reverso English Dictionary

Noun

1.
objectouter covering left after contents are removed
  • The beach was covered in empty shell after the storm.
carcass husk
2.
metaphorperson or thing lacking real value or purpose
  • After the tragedy, he became an empty shell.
Add a suggestion |

Images of empty shell

  • empty shell: outer covering left after contents are removed
    outer covering left after contents are removed

Expressions with empty shell

💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.
just an empty shelln.
person lacking emotions or purpose
After the tragedy, he felt like just an empty shell.
I'm just an empty shelln.
person feeling devoid of emotions or purpose
After the loss, I'm just an empty shell with no joy left.

Expressions with empty

empty outv.
cause a space or container to become vacant
The announcement caused the room to empty out quickly..
empty talkn.
speech with no real meaning or value
The politician's promises were just empty talk.
empty gesturen.
action that has no real meaning or sincerity
His apology was just an empty gesture to appease the crowd.
empty one's pocketsv.
remove all items from one's pockets
He emptied his pockets before washing his jeans.
empty one's mindv.
clear all thoughts from the mind
She sat quietly to empty her mind.
just an empty shelln.
person lacking emotions or purpose
After the tragedy, he felt like just an empty shell.

Expressions with shell

shell gamen.
game where a pea is hidden under shells
He lost money playing the shell game at the fair.
shell outv.
pay a large amount of money unwillingly
He had to shell out $500 for the unexpected car repair..
shell corporationn.
company existing only on paper, often for business transactions
The shell corporation had no employees or real office.
just an empty shelln.
person lacking emotions or purpose
After the tragedy, he felt like just an empty shell.
crawl into one's shellv.
withdraw from social interactions or activities
After the argument, he crawled into his shell and avoided everyone.
go into one's shellv.
become withdrawn and avoid social interaction
After the argument, he went into his shell.
out of one's shelladj.
more confident and willing to talk
After joining the club, she came out of her shell.
out of your shelladj.
less shy and reserved
After a few weeks, Maya was finally out of your shell at meetings.
retreat into one's shellv.
withdraw from social interactions
She tends to retreat into her shell when she's feeling overwhelmed.
withdraw into one's shellv.
become less sociable or more shy
After the argument, he began to withdraw into his shell.

Terms related to empty shell

💡 Terms in the same lexical field: analogies, antonyms, common collocates, words with same roots, hypernyms…
emptinesscasingcoveringexoskeletonframehullremainsshellskeletondummyillusionmask

Terms with empty shell included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
cartridge ejectorn.
firearms
mechanism that ejects empty shell cases in firearms

Examples of empty shell in a sentence

  • After the snail moved on, only an empty shell remained.
  • The company is now just an empty shell.
  • He smiled, but he was an empty shell inside.

View all translations of empty shell

✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
  1. French:coquille vide, ...
  2. German:leere Hülle, ...
  3. Italian:guscio vuoto, ...
  4. Spanish:concha vacía, cáscara vacía, ...
  5. Portuguese:concha vazia, ...
  6. Chinese:空壳, 空洞的壳, ...
  7. Japanese:空の殻, 空っぽの殻, ...
  8. Arabic:قِشْرَة فارِغَة, قوقعة فارغة, ...
  9. Hebrew:קוֹנְכִיָּה רֵיקָה, קְלִפָּה רֵיקָה, ...
  10. Russian:пустая ракушка, оболочка, ...
  11. Ukrainian:порожня мушля, ...
  12. Hindi:खोखला खोल, अर्थहीन व्यक्ति, ...

Discover how Reverso redefines the dictionary

Go beyond “simple words”

Get more than a simple definition

Go from understanding to mastery

Helping millions of people and large organizations communicate more efficiently and precisely in all languages.
Products
Translate Text
Translate Documents
Translation in Context
Grammar Check
Synonyms
Conjugation
Free apps
Reverso for Mac/Windows
Reverso for iOS/Android
Reverso for Chrome/Edge
Offers
Reverso Premium
Reverso Corporate Translator
FAQ
|
Contact
|
About Reverso
|
Terms & Conditions
|
Privacy Settings
|
Privacy Policy
©2026 Reverso. All rights reserved.
English Chinese Dictionary|English Swedish Dictionary|English Romanian Dictionary|English Portuguese Dictionary|English Polish Dictionary|English Dutch Dictionary|English Korean Dictionary|English Japanese Dictionary|English Hebrew Dictionary|English Spanish Dictionary|English German Dictionary|English Arabic Dictionary|English Turkish Dictionary|English Russian Dictionary|English Italian Dictionary|English Ukrainian Dictionary|English French Dictionary|English Vietnamese Dictionary|English Bengali Dictionary|English Danish Dictionary|English Greek Dictionary|English Hindi Dictionary|English Brazilian Portuguese Dictionary|English Persian Dictionary|English Thai Dictionary|English Catalan Dictionary|English Czech Dictionary|English Hungarian Dictionary|English Khmer Dictionary