1
: not anything : not a thing
There's nothing in my hands.
She knows nothing of/about our plans.
You have nothing to worry about.
"What are you doing?" "Nothing (much)."
There's nothing fun to do around here.
I have nothing against them. [=I do not dislike or resent them]
We'll accept nothing less than a full refund. [=we will only accept a full refund]
It costs nothing for the first month. [=you do not have to pay anything for the first month]
The phone call was nothing more than a sales pitch. [=it was just a sales pitch and not anything else]
They live on practically nothing. [=no money]
This has nothing to do with you. [=it does not involve you in any way]
There's nothing else [=no more] to say.
If nothing else, you should send him a card. [=you should at least send him a card]
I've had next to nothing to eat. [=I have had very little to eat]
He could make nothing of the coded message. [=he could not understand the coded message at all]
We discussed plans for a new project, but nothing came of them. [=we did not do anything about what we discussed]
He left nothing to chance. [=he planned for every possibility]
The food leaves nothing to be desired. [=the food is excellent]
Their children lack/want for nothing. [=their children have everything they need]
Why should they help? There's nothing in it for them. [=they will not gain anything for themselves by helping]
It looks like nothing so much as a big stick. [=it looks very much like a big stick]
Those kids are nothing but trouble. [=they are always causing trouble]
He is nothing if not persistent. [=he is extremely persistent]
"I'm quitting school." "You'll do nothing of the sort!" [=you will not do that; I will not allow you to do that]
She'll stop at nothing [=she will do anything] to get what she wants.
She finished up in nothing flat. [=in no time at all; very quickly]
2
: someone or something that has no interest, value, or importance
Money is nothing to them. [=they do not care at all about money]
You think that's bad? It's nothing compared to what I went through.
Don't get all upset over nothing.
"Thanks for your help." "It was nothing." [=it was no trouble]
Your opinion means nothing to me.
"Are you hurt?" "Don't worry. It's nothing."
All our work came to nothing. = All our work resulted in nothing.
He's nothing to me now. [=I don't care about him at all now]
: not at all : in no way
She is nothing like her sister.
It's nothing close to finished.
plural nothings
1
: empty space
It appeared out of nothing.
The UFO hovered for a while, then vanished into nothing.
2
: the number 0 : zero
(chiefly US) The score is two (to) nothing.
(Brit) She is five foot nothing [=she is exactly five feet tall] without her shoes on.
3
: someone or something that has little or no worth, importance, or influence
I knew her back when she was a nothing. [=nobody]
My children are important to me—I'm nothing without them.
Today was a nothing day. [=nothing interesting or important happened today]
Cite this Entry
“Nothing.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/nothing. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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