nowhere

1 of 3

adverb

no·​where ˈnō-ˌ(h)wer 

-(h)wər

1

: not in or at any place

The book is nowhere to be found.

2

: to no place

I've gotten nowhere with my research.

Arguing will get us nowhere.

3

: not at all : not to the least extent

—usually used with near

nowhere near as serious

nowhere near enough

nowhere

2 of 3

noun

1

: a nonexistent place

2

: an unknown, distant, or obscure place or state

rose to fame out of nowhere

see also:

miles from nowhere

nowhere

3 of 3

adjective

: of or relating to a remote or relatively unknown location

a nowhere town

Synonyms of nowhere

Noun

• countryside
• country

Examples of nowhere in a Sentence

Adverb

I have nowhere to go.

Nowhere is there more of a population problem than in this city.

Noun

from the looks of things, we're stranded in nowhere and most likely its proverbial middle

in a few short years he rose out of nowhere to prominence in the tech industry

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Anthony came up firing, but his throw came nowhere close to home plate. —Greg Dudek, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 2026

But the picture-perfect rancher’s paradise of Stockyards City is true to its stripes—and nowhere is this more evident than at Cattlemen’s. —Katie Akin, Southern Living, 7 Apr. 2026

Noun

Little Rock advances with an out-of-nowhere comeback that leads to an 85-83 double-overtime victory over Purdue in the first round of the NCAA tournament. —Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026

The series, the tale of a wealthy family forced to start from scratch in the middle-of-nowhere town of the title, amassed a cult following during the pandemic. —Meriam Bouarrouj, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026

Adjective

Southerners believe that burning ears out of nowhere means that someone is talking about you. —Abby Fribush, Southern Living, 7 Apr. 2026

Labrinth has made a bold declaration against his record label, his longtime partnership with HBO’s Euphoria and the music industry as a whole in a fiery post that came seemingly out of nowhere Friday (March 13). —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

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

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1889, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing nowhere

• come out of nowhere
• flattery will get you nowhere
• from nowhere
• From out of nowhere
• get nowhere
• going/getting nowhere fast
• going nowhere fast
• go nowhere
• in the middle of nowhere
• is nowhere to be found
• lead nowhere
• middle of nowhere
• miles from nowhere
• nowhere near
• nowhere to be found
• out of nowhere

Rhymes for nowhere

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

Kids Definition

nowhere

1 of 2 adverb

no·​where ˈnō-ˌhwe(ə)r 

-ˌwe(ə)r, 

-ˌhwa(ə)r, 

-ˌwa(ə)r, 

-hwər, 

-wər

1

: not in or at any place

2

: to no place

3

: not at all : not to the least extent

—usually used with near

nowhere near enough

nowhere

2 of 2 noun

: a place that does not exist

sounds seeming to come from nowhere