diff --git a/apps/oxlint/src-js/plugins/context.ts b/apps/oxlint/src-js/plugins/context.ts
index 23da8e59d67ff..922142ce3cd28 100644
--- a/apps/oxlint/src-js/plugins/context.ts
+++ b/apps/oxlint/src-js/plugins/context.ts
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ import { report } from "./report.ts";
 import { settings, initSettings } from "./settings.ts";
 import visitorKeys from "../generated/keys.ts";
 import { debugAssertIsNonNull } from "../utils/asserts.ts";
-import { EMPTY_GLOBALS, Globals, globals, initGlobals } from "./globals.ts";
+import { Globals, globals, initGlobals } from "./globals.ts";
 
 import type { RuleDetails } from "./load.ts";
 import type { Options } from "./options.ts";
@@ -182,12 +182,13 @@ const LANGUAGE_OPTIONS = {
   /**
    * Globals defined for the file being linted.
    */
-  get globals(): Readonly<Globals> | null {
+  get globals(): Readonly<Globals> {
+    // ESLint does not define `globals` property on `LanguageOptions` if no globals are defined.
+    // We have no way to distinguish between "no globals defined" and "globals defined as empty object",
+    // so we behave slightly differently from ESLint here, but it should make no practical difference.
     if (globals === null) initGlobals();
     debugAssertIsNonNull(globals);
-
-    // ESLint has `globals` as `null`, not empty object, if no globals are defined
-    return globals === EMPTY_GLOBALS ? null : globals;
+    return globals;
   },
 };
 
diff --git a/apps/oxlint/src-js/plugins/globals.ts b/apps/oxlint/src-js/plugins/globals.ts
index 2dd4d36165c65..9a25091951eed 100644
--- a/apps/oxlint/src-js/plugins/globals.ts
+++ b/apps/oxlint/src-js/plugins/globals.ts
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@ import { debugAssert, debugAssertIsNonNull } from "../utils/asserts.ts";
 export type Globals = Record<string, "readonly" | "writable" | "off">;
 
 // Empty globals object.
-// No need to freeze this object, as it's never passed to user.
-export const EMPTY_GLOBALS: Globals = {};
+// When globals are empty, we use this singleton object to avoid allocating a new object each time.
+const EMPTY_GLOBALS: Globals = Object.freeze({});
 
 // Globals for current file.
 // `globalsJSON` is set before linting a file by `setGlobalsForFile`.
@@ -43,9 +43,7 @@ export function initGlobals(): void {
   debugAssertIsNonNull(globalsJSON);
 
   if (globalsJSON === "{}") {
-    // `EMPTY_GLOBALS` is a placeholder meaning "no globals defined".
-    // `globals` getter on `LanguageOptions` returns `null` if `globals === EMPTY_GLOBALS`.
-    // No need to freeze `EMPTY_GLOBALS`, since it's never passed to user.
+    // Re-use a single object for empty globals as an optimization
     globals = EMPTY_GLOBALS;
   } else {
     globals = JSON.parse(globalsJSON);
diff --git a/apps/oxlint/test/fixtures/languageOptions/output.snap.md b/apps/oxlint/test/fixtures/languageOptions/output.snap.md
index fd2b6753c9a20..107ada8823377 100644
--- a/apps/oxlint/test/fixtures/languageOptions/output.snap.md
+++ b/apps/oxlint/test/fixtures/languageOptions/output.snap.md
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
   | sourceType: script
   | ecmaVersion: 2026
   | parserOptions: {"sourceType":"script"}
-  | globals: null
+  | globals: {}
    ,-[files/index.cjs:1:1]
  1 | let x;
    : ^
@@ -794,7 +794,7 @@
   | sourceType: module
   | ecmaVersion: 2026
   | parserOptions: {"sourceType":"module"}
-  | globals: null
+  | globals: {}
    ,-[files/index.js:1:1]
  1 | let x;
    : ^
@@ -804,7 +804,7 @@
   | sourceType: module
   | ecmaVersion: 2026
   | parserOptions: {"sourceType":"module"}
-  | globals: null
+  | globals: {}
    ,-[files/index.mjs:1:1]
  1 | let x;
    : ^