null

1 of 3

adjective

1
: having no legal or binding force : invalid
a null contract
2
: amounting to nothing : nil
the null uselessness of the wireless transmitter that lacks a receiving stationFred Majdalany
3
: having no value : insignificant
… news as null as nothing …Emily Dickinson
4
a
: having no elements (see element sense b(3))
null set
b
: having zero as a limit
null sequence
c
of a matrix : having all elements equal to zero
5
a
: indicating usually by a zero reading on a scale when a given quantity (such as current or voltage) is zero or when two quantities are equal
used of an instrument
b
: being or relating to a method of measurement in which an unknown quantity (as of electric current) is compared with a known quantity of the same kind and found equal by a null detector
6
: of, being, or relating to zero
The meter gave a null reading.
7

null

2 of 3

noun

1
2
a
: a condition of a radio receiver when minimum or zero signal is received
b
: a minimum or zero value of an electric current or of a radio signal

null

3 of 3

verb

nulled; nulling; nulls

transitive verb

: to make null

Did you know?

Let’s be honest: null is kind of a nothing word. That’s not a judgment—it was literally borrowed into English from the Anglo-French word nul, meaning "not any." That word, in turn, traces to the Latin word nullus, from ne-, meaning "not," and ullus, meaning "any." Null often pops up in legal and scientific contexts; it was originally used in Scottish law and still carries the meaning "having no legal or binding force," especially in the phrase "null and void." In mathematics, it is sometimes used to mean "containing nothing"; for example, the set of all whole numbers that are divisible by zero is the "null set" (that is, there are no numbers that fit that description). Null is occasionally seen in non-technical contexts with the meaning "lacking meaning or value," as in "if no one reads it, the book's content is null."

Examples of null in a Sentence

Adjective the contract was null because one party forgot to sign it that information is as null as no information at all Verb asked the state court to null the election results because of widespread voting irregularities
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.
Adjective
Pressly’s 45th appearance of the season on Aug. 2 vested a $14 million club option for the 2025 season, but the option is null if Pressly finishes the season on the injured list. Chandler Rome, The Athletic, 17 Aug. 2024 Seen in the course of welcoming all to events at her makeshift headquarters on a vacant lot, questions about the authenticity of her Jewish identity posed by traditionalists become null in the face of the good works of Judaism in action. Staff Report, Sun Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2024
Noun
In some ways, the more interesting findings in the papers are the nulls: the things that cash doesn’t do. Dylan Matthews, Vox, 15 July 2024 But the methods being imperfect, and interpretation being somewhat an art, a consensus of Out-of-Africa + total replacement has been assumed to be a null. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 21 Apr. 2010
Verb
Don’t worry that cooking with it will null the point: The heat is not so high as to damage the principal flavors. Emily Horton, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 Ricart understood the changing dynamics in college football and was careful to include a contingency that would null the truck’s lease should Ewers transfer. Jessica Rodriguez, Journal Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2022 See all Example Sentences for null 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Noun, and Verb

Anglo-French nul, literally, not any, from Latin nullus, from ne- not + ullus any; akin to Latin unus one — more at no, one

First Known Use

Adjective

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1556, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of null was in 1542

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Dictionary Entries Near null

Cite this Entry

“Null.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/null. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

null

adjective
ˈnəl
1
: having no legal or binding force : invalid
2
: having no value : insignificant
3
: having no elements
the null set

Legal Definition

null

adjective
: having no legal or binding force : void
a null contract
Etymology

Adjective

Anglo-French nul, literally, not any, from Latin nullus, from ne- not + ullus any

More from Merriam-Webster on null

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