abandon and empty share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. abandon means “forsake, leave behind”. empty means “make void or empty of contents”. empty is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/əˈbændən/
1.v.forsake, leave behind
“We abandoned the old car in the empty parking lot”
2.v.give up with the intent of never claiming again
“Abandon your life to God”
3.v.leave behind empty; move out of
“You must vacate your office by tonight”
/ˈɛmpti/
1.v.make void or empty of contents
“Empty the box”
2.v.become empty or void of its content
“The room emptied”
3.v.leave behind empty; move out of
“You must vacate your office by tonight”
| abandon | empty | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /əˈbændən/ | /ˈɛmpti/ |
| Said | uh-BAN-duhn | EMP-tee |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Letters | 7 | 5 |
| Parts of speech | verb, noun | verb, adjective, noun |
| Senses | 7 | 10 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | none recorded | none recorded |
Full entry for abandon · Full entry for empty · More comparisons