Zero meaning

What does “zero” mean? Definitions, examples, synonyms and opposites.

“zero” is a noun, verb and adjective with 10 meanings. Its most common meaning is: a quantity of no importance.

zero

noun

  1. a quantity of no importance

    “it looked like nothing I had ever seen before”

    “reduced to nil all the work we had done”

  2. a mathematical element that when added to another number yields the same number

  3. the point on a scale from which positive or negative numerical quantities can be measured

    Synonymszero point
  4. the sight setting that will cause a projectile to hit the center of the target with no wind blowing

verb

  1. adjust (an instrument or device) to zero value

  2. adjust (as by firing under test conditions) the zero of (a gun)

    “He zeroed in his rifle at 200 yards”

    Synonymszero in

adjective

  1. indicating the absence of any or all units under consideration

    “a zero score”

    Synonyms0
  2. having no measurable or otherwise determinable value

    “the goal is zero population growth”

  3. indicating an initial point or origin

  4. of or relating to the null set (a set with no members)

Source: WordNet 3.1, Princeton University

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