nothing
pronoun /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
/ˈnʌθɪŋ/
Idioms - not anything; no single thing
- There was nothing in her bag.
- There's nothing you can do to help.
- The doctor said there was nothing wrong with me.
- Nothing else matters to him apart from his job.
- It cost us nothing to go in.
- (British English) He's five foot nothing (= exactly five feet tall).
- very little; something that is not at all important or interesting
- We did nothing at the weekend.
- ‘What's that in your pocket?’ ‘Oh, nothing.’
- I know next to nothing (= almost nothing) about art.
Word OriginOld English nān thing (see no, thing).
Idioms
be nothing to somebody
- to be a person for whom somebody has no feelings
- I used to love her but she's nothing to me any more.
be/have nothing to do with somebody/something
- to have no connection with somebody/something
- Get out! It's nothing to do with you (= you have no right to know about it).
- That has nothing to do with what we're discussing.
for nothing
- without payment synonym free
- She's always trying to get something for nothing.
- with no reward or result
- All that preparation was for nothing because the visit was cancelled.
have nothing on somebody (informal)
- to have much less of a particular quality than somebody/something
- I'm quite a fast worker, but I've got nothing on her!
- (of the police, etc.) to have no information that could show somebody to be guilty of something
it is/was nothing
- used as a polite way of replying when somebody thanks you for doing something, to show that you were happy to do it
- ‘Thanks for all your help.’ ‘It was nothing—I enjoyed it.’
not for nothing
- for a very good reason
- Not for nothing was he called the king of rock and roll.
nothing but
- only; no more/less than
- Nothing but a miracle can save her now.
- I want nothing but the best for my children.
nothing if not
- extremely; very
- The trip was nothing if not varied.
nothing less than
- used to emphasize how great or extreme something is
- It was nothing less than a disaster.
nothing like (informal)
- not at all like
- It looks nothing like a horse.
- not nearly; not at all
- I had nothing like enough time to answer all the questions.
nothing much
- not a great amount of something; nothing of great value or importance
- There's nothing much in the fridge.
- I got up late and did nothing much all day.
(there’s) nothing to it
- (it’s) very easy
- You'll soon learn. There's nothing to it really.
stop at nothing
- to be willing to do anything to get what you want, even if it is dishonest or wrong
- She’ll stop at nothing to make money.
sweet nothings
- romantic words
- to whisper sweet nothings in somebody’s ear
there is/was nothing (else) for it (but to do something)
- there is no other action to take except the one mentioned
- There was nothing else for it but to resign.
there is/was nothing in something
- something is/was not true
- There was a rumour she was going to resign, but there was nothing in it.
there’s nothing like something
- used to say that you enjoy something very much
- There's nothing like a brisk walk on a cold day!