nothing
Americannoun
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no thing; not anything; naught.
to say nothing.
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no part, share, or trace (usually followed byof ).
The house showed nothing of its former magnificence.
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something that is nonexistent.
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The sound faded to nothing.
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something of no importance or significance.
Wealth is nothing if you're not healthy enough to enjoy it.
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a trivial action, matter, circumstance, thing, or remark.
to exchange a few nothings when being introduced.
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a person of little or no importance; a nobody.
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something that is without quantity or magnitude.
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a cipher or naught.
Nothing from nine leaves nine.
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(used in conventional responses to expressions of thanks).
Think nothing of it. It's nothing. Nothing to it.
adverb
adjective
idioms
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in nothing flat, in very little time.
Dinner was finished in nothing flat.
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nothing doing,
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Informal. emphatically no; certainly not.
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no activity, inducement, advantage, etc., present to the eye.
We drove through the town but there seemed to be nothing doing.
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think nothing of,
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to treat casually.
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to regard as insignificant.
He thinks nothing of lying to conceal his incompetence.
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make nothing of,
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to treat lightly; regard as easy.
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to be unsuccessful in comprehending.
He could make nothing of the complicated directions.
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nothing less than / short of, absolutely; completely.
She was used to nothing less than the best.
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nothing but, nothing other than; only.
We could see nothing but fog.
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for nothing,
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free of charge.
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for no apparent reason or motive.
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futilely; to no avail.
They had gone to a great deal of expense for nothing.
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pronoun
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(indefinite) no thing; not anything, as of an implied or specified class of things
I can give you nothing
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no part or share
to have nothing to do with this crime
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a matter of no importance or significance
it doesn't matter, it's nothing
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indicating the absence of anything perceptible; nothingness
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indicating the absence of meaning, value, worth, etc
to amount to nothing
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zero quantity; nought
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not to concern or be significant to (someone)
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to be not nearly as good as
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to have no connection with
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to have no engagements to keep
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to be undressed or naked
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informal to compare unfavourably with
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informal in almost no time; very quickly or soon
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not something other than; only
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informal an expression of dismissal, disapproval, lack of compliance with a request, etc
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at the very least; certainly
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downright; truly
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there's no choice; there's no other course
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a general expression of praise
there's nothing like a good cup of tea
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it is very simple, easy, etc
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to regard as routine, easy, or natural
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to have no compunction or hesitation about
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to have a very low opinion of
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as well as; even disregarding
he was warmly dressed in a shirt and heavy jumper, to say nothing of his thick overcoat
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to be prepared to do anything; be unscrupulous or ruthless
adverb
noun
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informal a person or thing of no importance or significance
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words of endearment or affection
Usage
Nothing normally takes a singular verb, but when nothing but is followed by a plural form of a noun, a plural verb is usually used: it was a large room where nothing but souvenirs were sold
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of nothing
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English nānthing, nathing; see no 2, thing 1
Explanation
When we say nothing, we mean "aught," "zero," "a big goose egg," "nada," "nil," "zilch," or "zippo," in other words, "of little or no quantity." Nothing can mean "not having anything." You might be hungry because you had nothing for lunch. It can also mean "not a big deal." That's why if you thank someone for doing something for you, he or she might reply, "Oh, it's nothing," to mean the effort was not at all significant. Nothing can also mean "emptiness" as in, "There's nothing in the trunk of my car."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“We are discussing, continue to discuss additional defense-related projects with the U.S. government, but we have nothing else to add at this point,” he added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
After all, his previous four seasons spent coaching the Trojans had been nothing short of a powder keg, filled with ups and downs, as well as a constant undercurrent of tension and uncertainty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Bush's fraudulent activity was laid out to the court, detailing how he gave 46 families the wrong ashes and 11 were given nothing at all.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Of course, volatility is nothing new for space stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
“When are you going to understand that you can’t make something out of nothing? You need to learn to stop watering dead things.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Lyrically, she embraces a childlike wonder, shares her vulnerabilities and indulges in sweet nothings — all with the intention of capturing what it means to be a person.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025
Senior Chinese diplomats are reportedly whispering sweet nothings in Indian ears.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2025
"It's emotionally aggravating to pursue the police. If I don't call them I don't hear anything; if I do, I get sweet nothings," he adds.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2025
How can these insignificant nothings pass judgment on me, the greatest person who's ever lived, the world's leading expert on everything?
From Salon ● May 28, 2024
So as we talked cutely together and batted our eyelashes at each other, all our sweet nothings were accompanied by a constant tearing and grinding.
From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
