zero out
phrasal verb
zeroed out; zeroing out; zeroes out
US
1
: to reduce the amount of (something) to zero
Be sure to zero out the account before you switch banks.
2
: to remove (something) completely
This program will be zeroed out in the budget for next year.
New legislation will zero out further funding for the project.
Examples of zero out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The White House released President Donald Trump's 2026 budget proposal Friday, hoping to slash, if not zero out, spending on many government programs.
—
Arkansas Online, 3 May 2025
In his first term, his budgets proposed zeroing out funding for the CPB, but Congress, which sets funding levels, ignored the requests.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 May 2025
The blueprint also proposes zeroing out several government agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and AmeriCorps.
—Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 2 May 2025
However, there are reports that the Space Force has considered zeroing out a budget line item for space mobility in its upcoming fiscal year 2026 budget request.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zero out
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Arkansas Online, 3 May 2025
In his first term, his budgets proposed zeroing out funding for the CPB, but Congress, which sets funding levels, ignored the requests.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 May 2025
The blueprint also proposes zeroing out several government agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and AmeriCorps.
—Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 2 May 2025
However, there are reports that the Space Force has considered zeroing out a budget line item for space mobility in its upcoming fiscal year 2026 budget request.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zero out
Cite this Entry
“Zero out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zero%20out. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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