nothing
no thing; not anything; naught: to say nothing.
no part, share, or trace (usually followed by of): The house showed nothing of its former magnificence.
something that is nonexistent.
nonexistence; nothingness: The sound faded to nothing.
something of no importance or significance: Wealth is nothing if you're not healthy enough to enjoy it.
a trivial action, matter, circumstance, thing, or remark: to exchange a few nothings when being introduced.
a person of little or no importance; a nobody.
something that is without quantity or magnitude.
a cipher or naught: Nothing from nine leaves nine.
(used in conventional responses to expressions of thanks): Think nothing of it. It's nothing. Nothing to it.
in no respect or degree; not at all: It was nothing like that. Nothing dismayed, he repeated his question.
amounting to nothing, as in offering no prospects for satisfaction, advancement, or the like: She was stuck in a nothing job.
Idioms about nothing
for nothing,
free of charge.
for no apparent reason or motive.
futilely; to no avail: They had gone to a great deal of expense for nothing.
in nothing flat, in very little time: Dinner was finished in nothing flat.
make nothing of,
to treat lightly; regard as easy.
to be unsuccessful in comprehending: He could make nothing of the complicated directions.
nothing but, nothing other than; only: We could see nothing but fog.
nothing doing,
Informal. emphatically no; certainly not.
no activity, inducement, advantage, etc., present to the eye: We drove through the town but there seemed to be nothing doing.
nothing less than / short of, absolutely; completely: She was used to nothing less than the best.
think nothing of,
to treat casually.
to regard as insignificant: He thinks nothing of lying to conceal his incompetence.
Origin of nothing
1Words Nearby nothing
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use nothing in a sentence
In the meantime, he should just accept that the holdup has nothing to do with his politics.
Conservative Curt Says His Politics, Not His Pitching, Kept Him Out of the Hall of Fame | Ben Jacobs | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThe decision not to run the cartoons is motivated by nothing more than fear: either fear of offending or fear of retaliation.
It has nothing to do with the regulatory job he is nominated for.
Sen. Warren’s Main Street Crusade to Pressure Clinton | Eleanor Clift | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST“There is a heavy security presence but nothing has changed,” agrees Father Javier.
nothing made Groucho funnier than having this Margaret Dumont around not understanding the jokes.
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire | William O’Connor | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
The vision—it had been an instantaneous flash after all and nothing more—had left his mind completely for the time.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodWe should have to admit that the new law does little or nothing to relieve such a situation.
Readings in Money and Banking | Chester Arthur Phillipsnothing remarkable occurred in our march through this country.
It was very warm, and for a while they did nothing but exchange remarks about the heat, the sun, the glare.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate Chopin"There is no more war," Brion translated for Ulv, realizing that the Disan had understood nothing of the explanation.
Sense of Obligation | Henry Maxwell Dempsey (AKA Harry Harrison)
British Dictionary definitions for nothing
/ (ˈnʌθɪŋ) /
(indefinite) no thing; not anything, as of an implied or specified class of things: I can give you nothing
no part or share: to have nothing to do with this crime
a matter of no importance or significance: it doesn't matter, it's nothing
indicating the absence of anything perceptible; nothingness
indicating the absence of meaning, value, worth, etc: to amount to nothing
zero quantity; nought
be nothing to
not to concern or be significant to (someone)
to be not nearly as good as
have nothing to do with or be nothing to do with to have no connection with
have nothing on or have got nothing on
to have no engagements to keep
to be undressed or naked
informal to compare unfavourably with
in nothing flat informal in almost no time; very quickly or soon
nothing but not something other than; only
nothing doing informal an expression of dismissal, disapproval, lack of compliance with a request, etc
nothing if not at the very least; certainly
nothing less than or nothing short of downright; truly
there's nothing for it there's no choice; there's no other course
there's nothing like a general expression of praise: there's nothing like a good cup of tea
there's nothing to it it is very simple, easy, etc
think nothing of
to regard as routine, easy, or natural
to have no compunction or hesitation about
to have a very low opinion of
to say nothing of as well as; even disregarding: he was warmly dressed in a shirt and heavy jumper, to say nothing of his thick overcoat
stop at nothing to be prepared to do anything; be unscrupulous or ruthless
in no way; not at all: he looked nothing like his brother
informal a person or thing of no importance or significance
sweet nothings words of endearment or affection
Origin of nothing
1usage For nothing
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with nothing
In addition to the idioms beginning with nothing
- nothing but
- nothing doing
- nothing if not
- nothing like
- nothing new under the sun
- nothing of the kind
- nothing short of
- nothing to do with
- nothing to it, there's
- nothing to sneeze at
- nothing to speak of
- nothing to write home about
- nothing ventured, nothing gained
also see:
- come to nothing
- count for (nothing)
- go for nothing
- have nothing on
- have nothing to do with
- here goes (nothing)
- in no time (nothing flat)
- leave a lot (nothing) to be desired
- make nothing of
- make something of (nothing)
- much ado about nothing
- not know beans (from nothing)
- not to mention (say nothing of)
- stop at nothing
- sweet nothings
- think nothing of
- want for nothing
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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