zero

noun

ˈzir-(ˌ)ō How to pronounce zero (audio)
Definition of zeronext
1
as in nothing
the numerical symbol 0 or the absence of number or quantity represented by it anything multiplied by zero comes out to zero

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in nobody
a person of no importance or influence those snobs on the cruise ship tried to make me feel like a complete zero

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in depth
the lowest point or level after several dating disasters, my confidence with the opposite sex is at zero

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 zero Earlier on Tuesday, Swift quietly updated her Instagram bio to feature three zeroes. — Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2026 In the ‘90s-style video of the song, Swift participates in a dance competition and receives three zeroes from the judges. — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026 After the game, the team will quickly depart roughly an hour after the clock hits all zeroes. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026 Within a certain interval, the zeros appear to all lie on a straight line. — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for zero
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zero
  1. nothing
  2. nobody
  3. depth
  4. nil
  5. cipher
  6. dwarf
  7. lightweight
  8. insect
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
  • In the trailer, the civilians are selling themselves as a new breed of nobodies.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Despite the tragicomic instability and the rotating cast of nobodies temporarily tasked with running the country, when seen in macroeconomic terms, Peru appears to be doing just fine, thank you.
    — Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 4 June 2026
Definition of nobody
Noun
  • The epicenter was approximately 21 miles west of Petrolia, at a depth of 12 miles.
    — CA Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • For one game, against the Chargers on Sunday at Arrowhead, the Chiefs dug into their depth chart and got significant contributions from the next men up in a 22-6 victory.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of depth
Noun
  • And in the current geopolitical climate, the prospects are next to nil.
    — Ian Johnstone, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Another stunner was Brentford’s 3-nil win over Tottenham Hotspur.
    — Greg Cote August 23, Miami Herald, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of nil
Noun
  • There’s that vibrancy and, on the other side of the ledger, dead boys, ciphers, unfinished or unfinishable quests.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • But in my view, our relationships to animals, whose lives are untouched by the existential woes and artifices of personhood, are the richest and most evident ciphers for our own often inscrutable psyches.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 June 2026
Definition of cipher
Noun
  • While most citrus trees are too large for indoor growing, there are a few small or dwarf varieties of citrus that can be kept indoors year-round in pots.
    — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 16 Oct. 2026
  • These explosions, known as hypernovas, were first proposed to explain unusual stars in the halo of our galaxy, the Milky Way, and in a neighboring dwarf galaxy.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of dwarf
Noun
  • In four debates, Collins worked to portray Jackson as an angry lightweight who wouldn’t be effective in the Senate.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Burberry x Smythson notebooks are filled with Smythson’s signature blue lightweight paper, while the opening and closing pages feature a London map print inspired by the fall 2026 Burberry runway collection, or the house check.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of lightweight
Noun
  • The campaign that originally eradicated screwworm relied on what’s known as the sterile insect technique.
    — Robert Kelly, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The goal is to detect and head off an infestation of the invasive insect next year, county officials said.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of insect

Phrases Containing zero

Browse Nearby Words

zephyrs
zero
zeroed (in on)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Zero.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zero. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on zero

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about zero

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 milieu

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