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nothing

[nuhth-ing]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

no thing; not anything; naught.
to say nothing.
no part, share, or trace (usually followed byof ).
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.

adverb

in no respect or degree; not at all.
It was nothing like that. Nothing dismayed, he repeated his question.

adjective

amounting to nothing, as in offering no prospects for satisfaction, advancement, or the like.
She was stuck in a nothing job.

nothing

/ ˈ��ʌθɪŋ /

pronoun

(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
1. not to concern or be significant to (someone)
2. to be not nearly as good as
to have no connection with
1. to have no engagements to keep
2. to be undressed or naked
3. informal��to compare unfavourably with
informal��in almost no time; very quickly or soon
not something other than; only
informal��an expression of dismissal, disapproval, lack of compliance with a request, etc
at the very least; certainly
downright; truly
there's no choice; there's no other course
a general expression of praise
there's nothing like a good cup of tea
it is very simple, easy, etc
1. to regard as routine, easy, or natural
2. to have no compunction or hesitation about
3. to have a very low opinion of
as well as; even disregarding
he was warmly dressed in a shirt and heavy jumper, to say nothing of his thick overcoat
to be prepared to do anything; be unscrupulous or ruthless

adverb

in no way; not at all
he looked nothing like his brother

noun

informal��a person or thing of no importance or significance
words of endearment or affection

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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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of nothing¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English ��thing, nathing; no ², thing ¹

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Word History and Origins

Origin of nothing¹

Old English nāthing, �� thing, from �� _none ¹ + _thing ¹

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

in nothing flat, in very little time.
Dinner was finished in nothing flat.
nothing doing,
1. Informal. emphatically no; certainly not.
2. no activity, inducement, advantage, etc., present to the eye.
  We drove through the town but there seemed to be nothing doing.
think nothing of,
1. to treat casually.
2. to regard as insignificant.
  He thinks nothing of lying to conceal his incompetence.
make nothing of,
1. to treat lightly; regard as easy.
2. to be unsuccessful in comprehending.
  He could make nothing of the complicated directions.
nothing less than / short of, absolutely; completely.
She was used to nothing less than the best.
nothing but, nothing other than; only.
We could see nothing but fog.
for nothing,
1. free of charge.
2. for no apparent reason or motive.
3. futilely; to no avail.
  They had gone to a great deal of expense for nothing.

In addition to the idioms beginning with nothing, 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.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Earlier on Saturday an anti-racism rally was held at Belfast City Hall, with organisers United Against Racism saying those responsible for the violence had "nothing to offer but hatred and fear".

From

When he finally opened his eyes, his language was minimal: a few indistinct words — possibly English, possibly Spanish — and nothing that sounded like a name.

From

But virtually nothing was known about its provenance and, crucially, who was funding it.

From

Drakeford, a Welsh speaker who encourages bilingualism in Wales, said unionists have nothing to fear if Irish "is done in a way that is sensitive to their concerns".

From

Mr Omar, from the mayor's office, admits this was the case until three years ago - and says nothing can be done about those buildings.

From

Related Words

nobody��

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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