null
Americanadjective
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without value, effect, consequence, or significance.
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being or amounting to nothing; nil; lacking; nonexistent.
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Mathematics. (of a set)
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of measure zero.
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being or amounting to zero.
noun
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Electronics. a point of minimum signal reception, as on a radio direction finder or other electronic meter.
verb (used with object)
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to cancel; make null.
idioms
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null and void, without legal force or effect; not valid.
This contract is null and void.
adjective
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without legal force; invalid; (esp in the phrase null and void )
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without value or consequence; useless
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lacking distinction; characterless
a null expression
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nonexistent; amounting to nothing
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maths
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quantitatively zero
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relating to zero
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(of a set) having no members
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(of a sequence) having zero as a limit
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physics involving measurement in which an instrument has a zero reading, as with a Wheatstone bridge
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Of or relating to a set having no members or to zero magnitude.
Etymology
Origin of null
1555–65; < Latin nūllus, equivalent to n ( e ) not + ūllus any
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
However, the court has now ruled that the fine "must be declared null and void" because of flaws in the investigation, according to a ruling obtained by AFP on Tuesday.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
This unexpected null result became one of the most influential outcomes in scientific history.
From Science Daily • Jan. 8, 2026
Prasad said the agency would no longer rely on certain study results to approve vaccines for pregnant women, saying “prior promises will be null and void.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 29, 2025
“That would be the cleanest way of addressing this particular scenario we’re in right now, because all of these new plans that have been drawn would become null and void,” McGhee said.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2025
The number erases all that has gone before, stamps it null and void.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.