zero
- 1The number that means none at all, written as 0, just before one.
Like an empty box that holds nothing inside.
When you take five away from five, you get zero.
Count down with me: three, two, one, zero!
UsageSay zero degrees, with a plural noun.
- 2Not any at all, the same as saying 'no' before a noun.
We have zero time left before the bus leaves.
There is zero food in the fridge tonight.
UsageSay zero chance to mean no chance at all.
Similarno
Note
- 3
- 4The starting point on a scale, where measuring begins.
Like the start line of a race, where everything begins.
On this ruler, measuring starts at zero.
Set the scale back to zero before you weigh anything.
UsageSay ten degrees below zero.
Note
- 5The written sign 0, which stands for the number zero, meaning none.
He drew a big zero on the board for everyone to see.
Make sure your zero doesn't look like the letter O.
UsageTwo zeros. People often say oh for 0 in phone numbers.
Similarnought
- 6
- 7The setting of a gun's sights that makes shots hit where you aim at a chosen distance, or a similar instrument setting.
Like adjusting a clock so it shows the correct time and stays accurate.
The shooter checked the zero on his rifle before the match.
With a good zero, your shots land close to where you aim.
UsageSay check the zero on a rifle.
Less common meanings
- 8A person who is seen as having no importance or value at all.
Like a name that nobody bothers to remember.
He felt like a complete zero after losing in front of everyone.
They treated her like a zero and ignored everything she said.
UsageA rude word; often treat someone like a zero.
Similarnobody, nonentity, cipher, loser
Oppositesomebody
Note
- 9Used in food and drink names to show it has no calories.
He switched to Coke Zero because he wanted a cola with no calories.
The store keeps Coke Zero in the back fridge.
Similardiet
Note
- 10To vanish, or to make something go away completely.
If I zeroed Jack, I'd get by So I'd erased him, pretended the last few months had never happened.
2004, Anna Maxted, Being CommittedHere, zeroed means made someone disappear.Traffic on the encrypted channels used by senior Iraqi generals had peaked and zeroed, then peaked again, and zeroed again.
1997, Tom Clancy, Executive OrdersHere, zeroed means dropped away to nothing.Similarerase, delete, wipe, vanish, disappear
Note
- 11Of weather: so foggy or cloudy that you can see almost nothing.
Like trying to see across a room full of thick smoke.
Flights were delayed because fog left the airport with zero visibility.
Drivers crawled forward in the zero visibility of the storm.
UsageSay zero visibility.
Note
- 12A value you put into a function that makes the function come out equal to zero.
Like finding the exact number that makes the answer come out to nothing.
The students searched for a zero of the function on the graph.
You can spot each zero where the curve touches the x-axis.
UsageSay the zeros of a function.
Similarroot
Note
- 13A Japanese navy fighter plane flown during World War II.
- 14The special element you add to something without changing it at all.
- 15A bond that pays no regular interest and instead pays one lump sum when it matures.
- 16Existing in grammar or meaning but not shown by any actual sound or word.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of zero apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
It came through Spanish, French, and Italian from Medieval Latin zēphirum, which came from Arabic ṣifr meaning "nothing", based on Sanskrit śūnyá meaning "void".
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- English zero came through Spanish, French, and Italian from Medieval Latin zēphirum. en.wiktionary.org
- Medieval Latin zēphirum came from Arabic ṣifr, meaning nothing. en.wiktionary.org
- The Arabic numerical meaning was based on Sanskrit śūnyá. en.wikipedia.org
- Sanskrit śūnyá means void. en.wiktionary.org