as in nothing
the numerical symbol 0 or the absence of number or quantity represented by it
for dates, the year is automatically listed as a pair of aughts, so the user has to scroll down to the correct figure
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Recent Examples of aught
Interest in her field exploded in the late 1990s and again in the mid-aughts when the H5N1 bird flu virus began infecting and killing mass numbers of poultry in China and other parts of Southeast Asia — and infecting and killing some people as well.
—
Helen Branswell, STAT, 25 Apr. 2026
Redick worked with James’ trainer Mike Mancias to ensure his 41-year-old star’s durability in the final aughts of the game – the four-time NBA MVP eventually playing a team-high 45 minutes while using any opportunity to sink to the floor for a breather.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
Owner Coss Marte spent six years in the early aughts locked up for slinging drugs on the same block.
—Ali Bauman, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
And, in the aughts, two boxy exhibition spaces by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano appeared on the west side of the 20-acre campus, along with a more visible point of entry on Wilshire Boulevard.
—Bloomberg, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for aught
Helen Branswell, STAT, 25 Apr. 2026
Redick worked with James’ trainer Mike Mancias to ensure his 41-year-old star’s durability in the final aughts of the game – the four-time NBA MVP eventually playing a team-high 45 minutes while using any opportunity to sink to the floor for a breather.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
Owner Coss Marte spent six years in the early aughts locked up for slinging drugs on the same block.
—Ali Bauman, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
And, in the aughts, two boxy exhibition spaces by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano appeared on the west side of the 20-acre campus, along with a more visible point of entry on Wilshire Boulevard.
—Bloomberg, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for aught
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aught
Noun
-
While CinemaCon 2026 brought us exciting news about new films, it was also bogged down with status quo nothings about how Amazon MGM still hasn’t found a new James Bond.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
-
When Dana, who, like Virginia, had been successful in writing pleasant but undistinguished nothings—in her case, songs for Billy Rose’s revues—decided to try taking on more serious music by studying with Boulanger, Virginia entered a deep downward spiral.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Among pitchers who faced at least 120 hitters while putting up all those zeroes, only two streaks have ever been longer.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
From there, Webb and Sánchez traded zeros for the rest of their respective afternoons.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Hopes that Bill Clinton and Barack Obama would seriously boost the traditional arts largely came to naught.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Showrunners Lilla and Nora Zuckerman were doing rewrites, all for naught.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Aught.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aught. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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