aught

noun

Definition of aughtnext
as in nothing
the numerical symbol 0 or the absence of number or quantity represented by it for dates, the year is automatically listed as a pair of aughts, so the user has to scroll down to the correct figure

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of aught The whole scene had a slightly early-aughts feel, right down to a tray of cigarettes. — Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2026 There was the legendary 959 in the 1980s, followed by the Carrera GT (picture up top) in the aughts, and then, most recently, the 918 Spyder. — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 8 Oct. 2026 Despite the victory lap, combat operations in Iraq and across the Middle East continued through the aughts. — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 The loud-mouthed cameos from ex-soccer players Zlatan Ibrahimović and Eric Cantona in Nike’s World Cup hero film Rip the Script were indicative of this, chiming with an older, more arrogant vision of Nike seen in the ’90s and the aughts. — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for aught
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aught
  1. nothing
  2. zero
  3. naught
Noun
  • Women continue marching down the runway in their stilettos and frothy little nothings.
    — Danielle Pergament, Allure, 19 Oct. 2026
  • While CinemaCon 2026 brought us exciting news about new films, it was also bogged down with status quo nothings about how Amazon MGM still hasn’t found a new James Bond.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
Definition of nothing
Noun
  • Riemann himself proved that nontrivial zeros of the zeta function can only be found in a vertical strip between zero and 1.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Engineers could represent the two configurations as binary digits, or zeros and ones.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of zero
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
Definition of naught

Browse Nearby Words

Augean stables
aught
aughts
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Aught.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aught. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All