zilch

American  

[zilch] / zɪltʃ /

noun

Slang.

1. zero; nothing.

   The search came up with zilch.

---

zilch British  

/ zɪltʃ /

noun

1. nothing

2. sport nil

---

Etymology

Origin of zilch

1965–70, perhaps continuous with earlier zilch snafu, Mr. Zilch a character in Ballyhoo, a humor magazine first published in 1931; for sense cf. zip ³

Explanation

Zilch is zero or nearly zero. This is a slangy term for nothing at all. If you have nothing in your bank account, you have zilch. If you no money in your pockets, you have zilch. People usually use this word when they're being humorous or informal. A CEO would be unlikely to say zilch when speaking to shareholders. A friend who beats another friend 3-0 in air hockey is likely to say "I win, three to zilch!" Zilch can also be called aught, a goose egg, nada, naught, nil, nix, null, zip, or zippo.

Example Sentences

But if you die first, your $100,000 equity and $30,000 in stocks go to your husband, and your kids get zero — nothing, zilch, nada.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Stellantis paid an annual $1.65 dividend in 2024, then dropped it to 77 cents in 2025, before going to zilch for 2026.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

That was all he desired, because any actual investigation would have come up with zilch.

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2024

So, it’s false that zilch has been built.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2023

The odds of any company selling a self-driving passenger vehicle in 2025 are close to zilch, and anything less than that puts Apple in an already crowded marketplace.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 17, 2022