zero

1. 1.

   indicating the absence of any or all units under consideration

   “a zero score”

   Synonyms0

   Similarcardinal
2. 2.

   having no measurable or otherwise determinable value

   “the goal is zero population growth”

   Similarno
3. 3.

   indicating an initial point or origin

   Similarordinal
4. 4.

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

1. 1.

   adjust (an instrument or device) to zero value

   Broaderadjust
2. 2.

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

   “He zeroed in his rifle at 200 yards”

   Synonymszero in

   Broaderadjust

Other forms of zero

plural

zeroes

past tense

zeroed·

present participle

zeroing·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about zero

What does zero mean?

zero means "a quantity of no importance". That is the primary sense; the word has 10 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in zero?

zero has 2 syllables: zer-o. The stress falls on "zer". In IPA it is /ˈzɪɹoʊ/.

What is another word for zero?

Close synonyms include nothing, nil, nix, nada, null. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is zero a common word?

zero is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.