nil adjective

Examples of nil in a Sentence

They took a 2 to nil lead in the second half of the game. the difference in the audio performance of those two CD players is nil
Recent Examples on the Web The two teams were tied at nil until the second half when Jaxson Bettencourt scored on a corner kick pass from Manuel Portillo to put Mitty up 1-0 in the 61st minute. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024 Otto and former Houston Oilers Pro Bowl WR Ken Burrough will forever be associated with double nil unless the NFL returns it to circulation. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 15 Apr. 2023 Never let it be said that UCLA is doing nil about NIL. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2022 To have relations, human being to human being, the chances are almost nil now, which wasn’t the case before. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2023 The chances that the lame duck Congress will restore the Child Tax Credit to its 2021 level are virtually nil. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2022 Down 0-3 to Golden State, the Mavericks’ chances of winning the Western Conference finals teeter between miniscule and nil. Dallas News, 23 May 2022 Problem of difficulty in applying technique were common in Group B (38 %), less common in Group A (22 %) and nil in Group C. Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 1 Aug. 2013 One-nil, as the soccer folks say, just eight minutes into a match with a National Women’s Soccer League title-game berth on the line. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin, nothing, contraction of nihil, from Old Latin nihilum, from ne- not + hilum trifle — more at no

First Known Use

circa 1550, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nil was circa 1550

Dictionary Entries Near nil

Cite this Entry

“Nil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nil. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nil

noun
: nothing at all : zero
nil adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on nil

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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