Definition of AUGHT

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Pronoun

If you know aught which does behove my knowledge / Thereof to be inform'd, imprison't not / In ignorant concealment, Polixenes begs Camillo in Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, employing the "anything" sense of "aught." Shakespeare didn't coin the pronoun "aught," which has been a part of the English language since before the 12th century, but he did put it to frequent use. Writers today may be less likely to use "aught" than were their literary predecessors, but the pronoun does continue to turn up occasionally. "Aught" can also be a noun meaning "zero," and for a while the phrase "the aughts" was bandied about as a proposed label for the decade that began in the year 2000.

Examples of aught in a Sentence

Noun

for dates, the year is automatically listed as a pair of aughts, so the user has to scroll down to the correct figure

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

There’s a vest made from curly sheepskin in canary and yolk yellows, and a coat in gray with hints of pink inspired by Justin Timberlake’s frosted tips in the early aughts. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "Eckhaus Latta Reimagines the Ugg With a Deliciously Square Toe," 9 Feb. 2019 Originally together in the early aughts, Helen Back & Str8 Razors reunite mixing their New York Dolls-meets-Siouxsie and the Banshees sound. — Grace Dickinson, Philly.com, "Justin Timberlake, Philadelphia Burger Brawl, 11th Wanamaker Court Organ Day, and other events happening in Philadelphia, June 1-7," 31 May 2018 On Monday night, smack in the middle of the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards, fans of The Hills were #blessed to learn that their beloved mid-aughts reality show would be rebooted as The Hills: New Beginnings, premiering sometime in 2019. — Andrea Park, Teen Vogue, "Here's Why "The Hills: New Beginnings" Won't Include Lauren Conrad or Kristin Cavallari," 21 Aug. 2018 Frasch, the former Saks executive, says that today’s showiness surpasses even mid-aughts levels of excess. — Eliza Brooke, Vox, "How the Great Recession influenced a decade of design," 27 Dec. 2018 In short, Kendall was proving with each and every look that the early-aughts are here to stay—at least for another season. — Avery Matera, Teen Vogue, "Kendall Jenner Wore Lingerie on the Beach and It Was Genius," 19 Dec. 2018 In just five minutes and thirty seconds, Grande delivered a wild ride of chick flick heaven—recreating some of the greatest early aughts movie scenes and surprising us with the most epic Kris Jenner cameo of all time (as Regina George's mom). — Lauren Alexis Fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "All The Iconic Movie Looks Ariana Grande Recreated in Her "Thank U, Next" Video," 30 Nov. 2018 The only way this look could get more late '90s/early aughts is if her hair was in a messy bun with just one streak hanging down directly in front of her eyes. — Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, "Miranda Kerr Got Face-Framing Highlights Straight Out of 2001," 21 Sep. 2018 Be digital With the explosion of streaming fitness services, excuses not to exercise are so mid-aughts. — Dana Wood, WSJ, "How To Work Out Efficiently If You’re a Workaholic," 15 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aught.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.