1
as in nobody
a person of no importance or influence
a passive and retiring little zilch of a person
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of zilch
Reviews have been mixed, with some critics embracing Gyllenhaal’s bold vision and others dismissing it as a whole lot of sound and fury, signifying zilch.
—
Brent Lang, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Once all the air pollution goes to zilch in half an hour, the Airmega automatically switches into eco mode.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2026
At zero or zip or zilch charge.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026
The Bengals, meanwhile, have zip-zilch-nada defensively other than Trey Hendrickson, who might not play on a short week with a bad back/hip.
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Brent Lang, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Once all the air pollution goes to zilch in half an hour, the Airmega automatically switches into eco mode.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2026
At zero or zip or zilch charge.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026
The Bengals, meanwhile, have zip-zilch-nada defensively other than Trey Hendrickson, who might not play on a short week with a bad back/hip.
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zilch
Noun
-
Seattle’s John Schneider and New England’s Eliot Wolf rose up from young nobodies to graduate from Green Bay Packers University, too.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Many of Newsom’s critics who breathlessly report on his evil plans (that the left-wing mainstream media supposedly cover up) are just nobodies who feign authority and are obviously fronting for right-wing organizations.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
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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
-
Why did her mom press so hard for the littlest of nothings?—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
4 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The still-unidentified Zodiac Killer, who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s, frequently sent threats, demands and ciphers to multiple local papers — namely the San Francisco Chronicle.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Finally, Marilyn is not presented as a cipher to be solved or quarry to be caged.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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After both sides put up zeroes in the 10th, Lazaro Collera ran into early trouble on the mound for Miami in the 11th.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Gu explained that modern computers store data as a series of zeros and ones.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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To make the garden more sustainable and less reliant on mowing, Johnson replaced part of the front lawn with dwarf mondo grass.—
Lennie Omalza,
Louisville Courier Journal,
5 Mar. 2026
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When his uncle Larry Tisch bought CBS, Spy called him a dwarf billionaire.—
Elise Taylor,
Vanity Fair,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These towels are ultra-thin, sand-free microfiber essentials that shake clean instantly, dry three times faster than cotton, and fold down lightweight and compact for the ultimate travel-ready getaway.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
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Install a lightweight screw with a hook into your ceiling.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Or the sight of an evil Jerry robot, puppeted by the consciousness of a tyrannical butterfly (Dave Franco), scampering, insect-like, around the fiery maelstrom of a rally gone awry.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
5 Mar. 2026
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The plants are resistant to deer and rabbits and have virtually no disease or insect problems.—
Lynn McAlpine,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Zilch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zilch. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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