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
If encouraging manufacturing jobs is really the goal, the administration should be looking to zero out tariffs on inputs to manufacturing.
—
The Editors, National Review, 15 Apr. 2025
Programs like the 2010 Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, the Waterways Improvement Fund, and the Clean Water Commerce account were recommended to be zeroed out entirely for at least the next fiscal year.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 11 Apr. 2025
President Donald Trump’s budgets in his first term called for zeroing out funding, but those efforts went nowhere as Congress set appropriations.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2025
But Karen Tumlin with the Justice Action Center said at the same hearing that the administration cannot simply zero out funding without providing direction on who will help these children when Congress has appropriated money for the care of unaccompanied minors.
—Janie Har, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zero out
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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The Editors, National Review, 15 Apr. 2025
Programs like the 2010 Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, the Waterways Improvement Fund, and the Clean Water Commerce account were recommended to be zeroed out entirely for at least the next fiscal year.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 11 Apr. 2025
President Donald Trump’s budgets in his first term called for zeroing out funding, but those efforts went nowhere as Congress set appropriations.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2025
But Karen Tumlin with the Justice Action Center said at the same hearing that the administration cannot simply zero out funding without providing direction on who will help these children when Congress has appropriated money for the care of unaccompanied minors.
—Janie Har, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 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 1 May. 2025.
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