zero

Pronunciation

• (Aus, US) enPR: zē'rō, IPA: /ˈziɹ.oʊ/, SAMPA: /"zir\.oU/
• (UK) IPA: /ˈzɪə.ɹəʊ/, SAMPA: /"zI@.r\@U/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}
• Hyphenation: ze‧ro

Determiner

(number)

1. Zero is a count of nothing. It is often written 0.

   One minus one is zero (1 - 1 = 0).

Synonyms

• nought

Noun

Singular zero

Plural zeros or zeroes

1. The symbol for the number zero, that is "0."

   The new job added a zero to my pay, from $20,000 to $200,000.

2. (slang) A person or thing that is worth nothing.

   I'm not inviting him, he's total zero.

Verb

1. To zero is to make a small change to reset a piece of equipment.

   I had to zero the counter on my tape player.

2. To zero in is to make small changes that bring you closer to something.

   I was able to zero in on the source of bad smell in the shed.

Plain form zero

Third-person singular zeroes

Past tense zeroed

Past participle zeroed

Present participle zeroing