diff --git a/src/dataframe/dataframe.jl b/src/dataframe/dataframe.jl
index 345aac547a..c8d03d4e4f 100644
--- a/src/dataframe/dataframe.jl
+++ b/src/dataframe/dataframe.jl
@@ -707,12 +707,10 @@ Base.setindex!(df::DataFrame, v, ::Colon, col_inds) =
 
 ##############################################################################
 ##
-## Mutating AbstractDict methods
+## Mutating methods
 ##
 ##############################################################################
 
-Base.empty!(df::DataFrame) = (empty!(_columns(df)); empty!(index(df)); df)
-
 """
 Insert a column into a data frame in place.
 
diff --git a/src/deprecated.jl b/src/deprecated.jl
index 10037d142f..b25cc25bef 100644
--- a/src/deprecated.jl
+++ b/src/deprecated.jl
@@ -1400,3 +1400,6 @@ import Base: get
 
 import Base: haskey
 @deprecate haskey(df::AbstractDataFrame, key::Any) key in names(df)
+
+import Base: empty!
+@deprecate empty!(df::DataFrame) deletecols!(df, 1:ncol(df))
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/dataframe.jl b/test/dataframe.jl
index 71f5beecf8..2107279f1d 100644
--- a/test/dataframe.jl
+++ b/test/dataframe.jl
@@ -65,17 +65,7 @@ end
     @test size(similar(df, 2)) == size(missingdf)
 end
 
-@testset "Associative methods" begin
-    df = DataFrame(a=[1, 2], b=[3.0, 4.0])
-    @test !isempty(df)
-
-    dfv = view(df, 1:2, 1:2)
-
-    @test empty!(df) === df
-    @test isempty(eachcol(df))
-    @test isempty(df)
-    @test isempty(DataFrame(a=[], b=[]))
-
+@testset "insertcols!" begin
     df = DataFrame(a=Union{Int, Missing}[1, 2], b=Union{Float64, Missing}[3.0, 4.0])
     @test_throws BoundsError insertcols!(df, 5, :newcol => ["a", "b"], )
     @test_throws ErrorException insertcols!(df, 1, :newcol => ["a"])
diff --git a/test/deprecated.jl b/test/deprecated.jl
index e465462b4b..ad7f8c28ef 100644
--- a/test/deprecated.jl
+++ b/test/deprecated.jl
@@ -203,4 +203,16 @@ df = DataFrame(Union{Int, Missing}, 2, 2)
     end
 end
 
-end # module
+@testset "empty!" begin
+    df = DataFrame(a=[1, 2], b=[3.0, 4.0])
+    @test !isempty(df)
+
+    dfv = view(df, 1:2, 1:2)
+
+    @test empty!(df) === df
+    @test isempty(eachcol(df))
+    @test isempty(df)
+    @test isempty(DataFrame(a=[], b=[]))
+end
+
+end # module
\ No newline at end of file