void

[ void ]

/ vɔɪd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR void ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

Law. having no legal force or effect; not legally binding or enforceable.

useless; ineffectual; vain.

devoid; destitute (usually followed by of): a life void of meaning.

without contents; empty.

without an incumbent, as an office.

Mathematics. (of a set) empty.

(in cards) having no cards in a suit.

noun

an empty space; emptiness: He disappeared into the void.

something experienced as a loss or privation: His death left a great void in her life.

a gap or opening, as in a wall.

a vacancy; vacuum.

Typography. counter³(def 10).

(in cards) lack of cards in a suit: a void in clubs.

verb (used with object)

to make ineffectual; invalidate; nullify: to void a check.

to empty; discharge; evacuate: to void excrement.

to clear or empty (often followed by of): to void a chamber of occupants.

Archaic. to depart from; vacate.

verb (used without object)

to defecate or urinate.

Nearby words

voiceful, voiceless, voicelessly, voicemail, voiceprint, void, voidable, voidance, voided, voider, voiding cystogram

Origin of void

1250–1300; (adj.) Middle English voide < Anglo-French, Old French < Vulgar Latin *vocīta, feminine of *vocītus, dissimilated variant of Latin vocīvus, itself variant of vac(ī)vus empty; see vacuum; (v.) Middle English voiden < Anglo-French voider, Old French < Vulgar Latin *vocītāre, derivative of *vocītus; (noun) derivative of the adj.

SYNONYMS FOR void

3, 4 See empty.

5 vacant, unoccupied.

8 vacuum.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR void ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

void·ness, nounnon·void, adjective, nounpre·void, verb (used with object)un·void, adjective

un·void·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for void

His non-fiction fills, or helps to fill, the void left by Foster Wallace.
Charles D’Ambrosio’s X-Ray Vision Is On Full Display In His New Essay Collection.|Steve Almond|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This book seeks to fill that void (although arguably atheist kids should get used to nothingness sooner rather than later).
Are You There, Nobody? It’s Me, Margaret|Candida Moss|October 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But younger Hong Kong residents rushed to fill the void and started a series of protests.
Hong Kong Protesters Fear Martial Law Is Coming|Gordon G. Chang|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“A suspended sentence becomes null and void after a certain period of time,” Rofugaran said.
Iran Court Sentences ‘Happy’ Dancers to 6 months and 91 Lashes|IranWire|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In a sense, we occupy a weird place in the Universe: relatively close to both a void and several huge galaxy clusters.
Laniakea: The Milky Way’s Place in the Heavens|Matthew R. Francis|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I may be allowed to express the hope that our labors in this direction will not be void of such useful results.
First Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution|Various
Life becomes dark and void, and all that made it worth living seems to have gone.
Nervous Breakdowns and How to Avoid Them|Charles David Musgrove
The void, altogether unknown to any one but herself, had made her sick with shame and distress.
The Wizard's Son, Vol. 2(of 3)|Margaret Oliphant
Before his serene and all-embracing vision every school appears and disappears in the void.
Unicorns|James Huneker
The claim is void unless made within four weeks of the dissolution of apprentice relations.
The Theory and Policy of Labour Protection|Albert Eberhard Friedrich Schffle

British Dictionary definitions for void

void

/ (vɔɪd) /

adjective

without contents; empty

not legally bindingnull and void

(of an office, house, position, etc) without an incumbent; unoccupied

(postpositive foll by of) destitute or devoidvoid of resources

having no effect; uselessall his efforts were rendered void

(of a card suit or player) having no cards in a particular suithis spades were void

noun

an empty space or areathe huge desert voids of Asia

a feeling or condition of loneliness or deprivationhis divorce left him in a void

a lack of any cards in one suitto have a void in spades

Also called: counter the inside area of a character of type, such as the inside of an o

verb (mainly tr)

to make ineffective or invalid

to empty (contents, etc) or make empty of contents

(also intr) to discharge the contents of (the bowels or urinary bladder)

archaic to vacate (a place, room, etc)

obsolete to expel

Derived Formsvoider, nounvoidness, noun

Word Origin for void

C13: from Old French vuide, from Vulgar Latin vocītus (unattested), from Latin vacuus empty, from vacāre to be empty

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

Word Origin and History for void (1 of 3)

void

adj.

late 13c., "unoccupied, vacant," from Anglo-French and Old French voide "empty, vast, wide, hollow, waste," from Latin vocivus "unoccupied, vacant," related to vacuus "empty" (see vacuum). Meaning "lacking or wanting" (something) is recorded from early 15c. Meaning "legally invalid" is attested from mid-15c.

Word Origin and History for void (1 of 3)

void

"empty space, vacuum," 1727; see void (adj.).

Word Origin and History for void (2 of 3)

void

"to clear" (some place, of something), c.1300, from void (adj.); meaning "to deprive (something) of legal validity" is attested from early 14c. Related: Voided; voiding.

void

adjective

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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Origin of void

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British Dictionary definitions for void

void

adjective

noun

verb (mainly tr)

Word Origin for void

Word Origin and History for void (1 of 3)

void

Word Origin and History for void (1 of 3)

void

Word Origin and History for void (2 of 3)

void

Medicine definitions for void

void

v.

adj.

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void

void

.css-1gxch3{color:#1a1a1a;font-size:18px;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;}adjective

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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Origin of void

Examples from the Web for void

British Dictionary definitions for.css-ylq2vz{color:#1a1a1a;} void

void

adjective

noun

Word Origin for void

Word Origin and History for void (1 of 3)

void

Word Origin and History for void (1 of 3)

void

Word Origin and History for void (2 of 3)

void

Medicine definitions for void

void

v.

adj.

Idioms and Phrases with void

void

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for void