come up empty

USAGE SUMMARY

"come up empty" is correct and usable in written English.
It is an idiom that means "to have no success; to not find anything when searching for something". Example: After hours of searching, he came up empty and had to admit defeat.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

45 human-written examples

We would come up empty.

Harvard Business Review

I always come up empty.

The New Yorker

Unfortunately, I've pretty much come up empty.

The New Yorker

But so far she has come up empty.

The New York Times

The results are not likely to come up empty.

The New York Times

The team had raided his house several times but come up empty.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

15 human-written examples

You're likely to come up empty-handed.

The Guardian - Opinion

Yet even they come up empty-handed sometimes.

The New York Times

So far, they have come up empty-handed.

The New York Times

But each time they have come up empty-handed.

The New York Times

Like Saint Joan, the police continued to come up empty-handed.

The Washington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "come up empty", ensure the context clearly indicates what the subject was searching for or attempting to achieve. This provides clarity and impact to the statement.

Common error

Avoid using "come up empty" in literal contexts. It's an idiom, so it should describe a lack of success in a search or endeavor, not a literal empty space.

Linguistic Context

The idiomatic phrase "come up empty" primarily functions as a verb phrase within a sentence, often describing the action of failing to find something or achieve a desired outcome. According to Ludwig AI, this phrase is indeed correct and usable in written English. Ludwig examples support its usage to indicate unsuccessful searches and efforts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

68%

Formal & Business

15%

Science

10%

Less common in

Wiki

2%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "come up empty" is a versatile and commonly used idiom that effectively communicates a lack of success in finding something or achieving a desired outcome. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, this phrase is grammatically correct and frequently appears in diverse contexts, particularly in news and media. It's important to remember that "come up empty" is best used in situations where a search or effort has been made, but no results were obtained. Using this phrase correctly ensures clear communication and adds impact to the statement. While alternatives like "draw a blank" or "return empty-handed" exist, "come up empty" remains a straightforward and widely recognized expression for conveying unsuccessful endeavors.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

draw a blank

An idiomatic expression similar to the original, focusing on the lack of a result or answer.

return empty-handed

Similar to the original, emphasizing the lack of something obtained after a search or effort.

find nothing

Directly states the absence of discovery or finding.

not find anything

Emphasizes the absence of finding what was sought, keeping the meaning close to the literal sense.

yield no results

Focuses on the absence of outcomes or consequences from an action.

come to nothing

Focuses on the failure of a plan or action to produce any positive outcome.

fail to achieve results

Focuses on the lack of accomplishment, highlighting the failure to get any outcome.

be unsuccessful

States the lack of success in a straightforward manner.

prove unsuccessful

Highlights the lack of success in a more formal tone.

bear no fruit

Suggests that efforts did not produce any positive or useful results.

FAQs

How to use "come up empty" in a sentence?

You can use "come up empty" to indicate a failed search or endeavor. For example, "After searching for hours, the detectives "came up empty" and had to abandon the search".

What can I say instead of "come up empty"?

You can use alternatives like "draw a blank", "find nothing", or "return empty-handed" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "come up empty" or "came up empty"?

Both "come up empty" and "came up empty" are correct, but they are used in different tenses. "Come up empty" is present tense, while "came up empty" is past tense.

What's the difference between "come up empty" and "come up short"?

"Come up empty" means to find nothing or have no success in a search, while "come up short" means to not have enough of something, like money or resources.