nothing: Meaning and Definition of
noth•ing
Pronunciation: (nuth'ing), [key] — n.
- no thing; not anything; naught: to say nothing.
- no part, share, or trace (usually fol. by of&hasp;): The house showed nothing of its former magnificence.
- something that is nonexistent.
- nonexistence; nothingness: The sound faded to nothing.
- something or someone of no importance or significance: Money is nothing when you're without health.
- a trivial action, matter, circumstance, thing, or remark: to exchange a few nothings when being introduced.
- a person of little or no importance; a nobody.
- something that is without quantity or magnitude.
- a cipher or naught: Nothing from nine leaves nine.
- (used in conventional responses to expressions of thanks): Think nothing of it. It's nothing. Nothing to it.
- They had gone to a great deal of expense for nothing.
- free of charge.
- for no apparent reason or motive.
- futilely; to no avail:They had gone to a great deal of expense for nothing.
- in very little time: Dinner was finished in nothing flat.
- He could make nothing of the complicated directions.
- to treat lightly; regard as easy.
- to be unsuccessful in comprehending:He could make nothing of the complicated directions.
- nothing other than; only: We could see nothing but fog.
- We drove through the town but there seemed to be nothing doing.
- Informal.emphatically no; certainly not.
- no activity, inducement, advantage, etc., present to the eye:We drove through the town but there seemed to be nothing doing.
- absolutely; completely: She was used to nothing less than the best.
- He thinks nothing of lying to conceal his incompetence.
- to treat casually.
- to regard as insignificant:He thinks nothing of lying to conceal his incompetence.
—adv. - in no respect or degree; not at all: It was nothing like that. Nothing dismayed, he repeated his question.
—adj. - amounting to nothing, as in offering no prospects for satisfaction, advancement, or the like: She was stuck in a nothing job.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.