zero

zero — number

1. the figure 0, used when counting to mean none of something or no amount.

1.numberA2
Definition

the figure 0, used when counting to mean none of something or no amount.

Example

Antonia counted twelve apples and zero oranges in the wooden bowl.

zero + plural noun for 'none'

The phone number ends in three zeros, so it is easy to remember.

plural form 'zeros' as the digit

Common collocations
  • count down to zero
  • drop to zero
  • round to zero
Synonyms
  • nothing

    more general; for amounts or things, not for the digit itself

  • nought

    British; everyday spoken word for the digit 0

  • nil

    British; mostly used in sports scores (two–nil)

Usage Note

In British English the digit is often called 'nought' or 'oh' when read aloud (room 207 = 'two-oh-seven'). 'Zero' itself is the neutral, mathematical form.

Common Mistakes

I have zero of money.
I have zero money.
'zero' goes directly before the noun, no 'of'.
The score is zeros.
The score is zero.
keep 'zero' singular when it names the count.

2. the mark labelled 0 on a scale of measurement, used as the dividing line between

2.numberB1
Definition

the mark labelled 0 on a scale of measurement, used as the dividing line between positive and negative values — for example, the freezing point of water in Celsius.

Example

By midnight, the temperature in Helsinki had fallen to ten below zero.

below zero = negative temperature

Hassan watched the fuel gauge slip toward zero as the truck climbed the hill.

approach + zero on a gauge

Common collocations
  • fall to zero
  • below zero
  • zero degrees
Synonyms

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense always refers to a position on a scale (temperature, pressure, volume, fuel) rather than a count of objects. Common with prepositions: 'at zero', 'to zero', 'below zero'.

Common Mistakes

The temperature fell at zero degrees.
The temperature fell to zero degrees.
use 'to' for the change, 'at' for the resting point.

zero — adjective

zero — noun

zero — verb

Word family

  • zeros
    nounB1
  • sub-zero
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: number/1

All five words can refer to an absence, but each fits a different slot. 'Zero' is the neutral, mathematical name for the digit 0 and works in any register from a science classroom to a casual conversation ('the score is zero'). 'Nothing' is broader and more everyday: it points at the absence of any thing, not at the digit itself ('there is nothing in the box'). 'Nought' is chiefly British and informal, common when reading numbers aloud ('point nought five'). 'Nil' is mostly heard in British sports scores ('Brazil won three–nil'). 'Null' has a technical flavour, used in maths, statistics, and computing for an empty or invalid value ('a null result'). When in doubt, choose 'zero' for numbers and 'nothing' for things.

zero ↗nothing ↗noughtnilnull ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • zero tolerance
  • zero degrees
  • zero balance
  • zero hour
  • zero gravity
  • ground zero

Adverbs

  • nearly zero
  • almost zero
  • absolutely zero

Phrases

  • count down to zero
  • drop to zero
  • reset to zero
  • from zero to hero

Prepositions

  • at zero
  • to zero
  • above zero
  • below zero
  • from zero

Etymology

ArabicMedieval LatinItalianFrenchEnglish

The English word came into use in the early 1600s, borrowed through French and Italian 'zero' from Medieval Latin 'zephirum'. That Latin form was itself an adaptation of Arabic 'sifr', meaning 'empty' or 'nothing', which Arab mathematicians used for the digit 0 they passed on to Europe. The same Arabic root, through a different path, also gave English the word 'cipher'. So 'zero' and 'cipher' are linguistic cousins from one Arabic source.