ENGLISH
REFERENCE

empty words

idiom
Meaning

Any type of talk with little meaning; a message that seems to contain meaningful content but is actually vapid.


Examples
SIMPLE

His promises are just empty words.

CONTEXTUAL

The politician gave a long speech, but the voters felt it was full of empty words.

COMPLEX

Despite the grand rhetoric used during the negotiations, the final agreement proved to be nothing more than empty words designed to pacify the public.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    empty suit

    An ineffective or incompetent person in a place of authority.

  2. 02

    empty the clip

    To compete with great vigor, especially by making numerous scoring attempts.

  3. 03

    empty the tank

    To make the utmost effort; to contribute to the absolute limit of one's energy and abilities.

  4. 04

    have words

    To argue, to have an argument.

  5. 05

    man of few words

    A man who doesn't speak much; a habitually terse or taciturn man.

  6. 06

    mark my words

    Listen to me; used before or after a statement one wishes to emphasize, especially a prediction.

  7. 07

    mince words

    To restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.

  8. 08

    mouth the words

    To speak insincerely.

© 2026 English Reference