naught

1 of 3

pronoun (1)

ˈnȯt How to pronounce naught (audio) ˈnät How to pronounce naught (audio)
variants or less commonly nought
Synonyms of naughtnext
: nothing
Their efforts came to naught.
It was all for naught.

naught

2 of 3

noun

variants or less commonly nought
1
: nothingness, nonexistence
2
: the arithmetical symbol 0 : zero, cipher

nought

3 of 3

pronoun (2)

less common spelling of naught

: nothing
Their efforts came to naught.
It was all for naught.

Synonyms of naught

Relevance

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of naught in a Sentence

Noun my locker number is naught-seven-two
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
If people don’t buy that moment, not only is this scene for naught but lots of the show is for naught, and so much of that is on Chris and his ability to utterly surrender to the reality of this moment. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026 Skubal scattered three hits and struck out 10 in seven scoreless innings, which would have gone for naught without the Hernández and Pages home runs. — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026 Tulsa’s visions of a Top-25 kind of season appear for naught. — ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026 For 58 minutes on Thursday, Colorado’s offense and special teams appeared to be letting a dominant defensive performance go for naught. — Seth Emerson, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for naught

Word History

Etymology

Pronoun (1) and Noun

Middle English nought, from Old English nāwiht, from nā no + wiht creature, thing — more at no, wight

First Known Use

Pronoun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of naught was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing naught

Rhymes for naught

See All Rhymes for naught

Browse Nearby Words

nauger
naught
naughtily
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Naught.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/naught. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

naught

1 of 2 pronoun
variants also nought
ˈnȯt, 
ˈnät
: nothing entry 1 sense 2
their efforts came to naught

naught

2 of 2 noun
variants also nought
1
: the quality or state of being nothing : nonexistence
2
: zero entry 1 sense 1 see number
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