naught

1 of 2

pronoun

variants or less commonly nought
: nothing
Their efforts came to naught.
It was all for naught.

naught

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly nought
1
2
: the arithmetical symbol 0 : zero, cipher

Examples of naught in a Sentence

Noun my locker number is naught-seven-two
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
That's much higher than with other infectious diseases, such as Ebola with an R naught of 2. Alyson Hurt, NPR, 28 Feb. 2025 That's for naught if conservatives tank the bill first. Hans Nichols, Axios, 25 Feb. 2025 There has been incessant trading in these two companies for years now — all, in retrospect, for naught. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2025 Imagine if the Aztecs, who happily sent their young up the pyramid to be horrible killed for a bunch of mythical lizards, realized their sacrifices were for naught. Clem Chambers, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for naught

Word History

Etymology

Pronoun and Noun

Middle English nought, from Old English nāwiht, from no + wiht creature, thing — more at no, wight

First Known Use

Pronoun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of naught was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Naught.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/naught. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

naught

1 of 2 pronoun
variants also nought
ˈnȯt,
ˈnät
: nothing entry 1 sense 2
their efforts came to naught

naught

2 of 2 noun
variants also nought
1
: the quality or state of being nothing : nonexistence
2

More from Merriam-Webster on naught

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!