nothing
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++noth·ing1 /ˈnʌθɪŋ/ ●●● S1 W1 pronoun 1 NONE/NOTHINGnot anything or no thing 没有任何东西；没有事 Nothing ever happens in this town. 这镇上从来都不会发生什么特别的事。 There’s nothing in this box. 这盒子里什么也没有。 There was nothing else the doctors could do. 医生们没有别的办法了。 He had nothing more to say. 他没有更多要说的了。 We know nothing about her family. 我们对她的家庭一无所知。 I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. 我不能就那样袖手旁观。 I promised to say nothing about it to anyone. 我答应这件事对谁也不说。 We’ve heard nothing from her for weeks. 我们好几个星期没有她的音信了。 There’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. 根本没有什么好难为情的。 ‘Do you know much about business?’ ‘Nothing at all.’ “你对做生意了解得多吗？”“一窍不通。” She had eaten virtually nothing at supper. 晚饭她几乎什么也没吃。 There’s nothing wrong with the data. 这些数据没什么差错。 There’s nothing new about this. 这没有什么新鲜的。 A brief search was made but they found nothing untoward. 他们简单地搜查了一番，没发现任何异常。2 nothing but only 只有；只是 She’d had nothing but bad luck. 她净倒霉了。3 have nothing against somebody/something if you have nothing against someone or something, they do not annoy or offend you 对某人/某事不反感 I have nothing against him personally. 我对他本人并不反感。4 UNIMPORTANTsomething which is considered unimportant, not interesting, or not worth worrying about 微不足道的事，小事 ‘What have you been doing?’ ‘Nothing. Just sitting here.’ “你都在干些什么？”“没干什么，只是在这里坐着。” There’s nothing on television tonight. 今晚电视没什么可看的。 ‘What did you do last weekend?’ ‘Oh, nothing much.’ “你上周末做了什么？”“嗯，没做什么事。” Politics meant nothing (=was not important) to me for years. 多年来政治对我无关紧要。 The meal was nothing special (=it was not unusual or interesting) – just fish with a cheese sauce. 那顿饭没什么特别的——就是鱼配干酪酱。5 especially American EnglishHMNNONE/NOTHING zero 零 SYN British English nil We beat them ten to nothing. 我们以十比零击败了他们。6 have/be nothing to do with somebody/something if you have nothing to do with someone or something, or if someone or something has nothing to do with you, you are not involved or connected with it 与某人/某事毫不相干；与某人/某事无关 He said that he had nothing to do with the decision. 他说他和那个决定毫不相干。 As I said, it’s nothing to do with me. 我说了，这事与我无关。 That’s got nothing to do with you. 那不关你的事。 I want nothing to do with (=do not want to be involved) the whole thing. 我可不想牵扯到这件事里去。 My staff had nothing whatsoever to do with this. 我的员工和这件事毫不相干。7 for nothing 8 no money or payment at all 不值钱；不花钱9 there’s nothing like something used to say that something is very good 什么都比不上某事物10 there’s nothing in/to something UNTRUEused to say that what people are saying about someone or something is not true 某事不真实11 if nothing else used to emphasize one good quality or feature that someone or something has, while suggesting that it might be the only good one 不说别的〔用于强调某一好的特性或特征，但暗示这可能是唯一的优点〕12. come to nothing if a plan or action comes to nothing, it does not continue or does not achieve anything 〔计划或行动〕没有结果，终未实现13 be nothing if not something used to emphasize a particular quality that someone or something has 极其，非常〔用于强调某种特性〕14. nothing doing spoken used to refuse to do something 不行，我不干15 (there’s) nothing to it spokenEASY used to say that something is easy to do 〔做某事〕没有困难，很容易16 it was nothing/think nothing of it spokenTHANK used when someone has thanked you a lot for something you have done for them 别放在心上，没什么〔用于回应他人的感谢〕17 nothing of the sort/kind spokenREFUSEUNTRUE used to say strongly or angrily that something is not true or will not happen 绝对不行；绝对不可能〔用于严词否认〕18 have nothing on somebody informal if someone has nothing on you, they are not better than you at something 比不上某人19 there’s nothing for it but to do something DO something/TAKE ACTION British English used when there is only one thing you can do in a particular situation 除了做某事以外别无他法 → sweet nothings at sweet1(13), → to say nothing of at say1(45), → nothing on earth at earth1(9)5 GRAMMAR 语法• Do not use nothing with another negative word (eg ‘not’). Use anything. 如果有其他否定词(如not)，不要用nothing，而要用anythingI could not find anything suitable (NOT 不说 I could not find nothing suitable).我找不到合适的东西。n GRAMMAR: NegativesDon’t use nothing with another negative word such as ‘not’. Use anything. You say: I could not find anything suitable. 我找不到合适的东西。 ✗Don’t say: I could not find nothing suitable.
Examples from the Corpus
nothing• "What did you say?" "Oh, nothing."• I never said nothing about taking you swimming.• Nothing ever happens around here.• There's nothing in this box.• It's nothing, just a scratch.• The kids were complaining there was nothing to do.• I have nothing to wear to the wedding.• No, there's nothing wrong, I'm all right.nothing else• She had on socks and nothing else!• She sees him as a friend and nothing else.• When nothing else happened disappointment diluted her excitement.• If nothing else, I know him.• If nothing else, it gives an indication of the performance to be expected from a well-maintained battery.• If nothing else, that would get boring.• If nothing else the meeting serves as a useful way of getting everyone's ideas together.• I am sorry, but there's nothing else to be done.• Everyone taught or studied; there was nothing else to do.• It was a fairly preposterous starting point, but there was nothing else to go on.nothing much• "What did you do last weekend?" "Oh, nothing much."• After more than a hour nothing much had changed.• Despite the tension, nothing much happens, but there is plenty of talk.• Yet, she knows, as the unemployed assuredly know, that nothing much is going to happen quickly.• His secret: nothing much more complicated than understanding what constitutes an explanation.• I had nothing much to do before reporting to the banker at four o'clock.• And for the past 10 years they have had nothing much to do except talk.• Only two or three clowns dressed up and nothing much took place.• For the rest of the ride nothing much was said.nothing2 adverb 1 be/seem/look nothing like somebody/something LIKE/SIMILAR#to have no qualities or features that are similar to someone or something else 一点都不像某人/某物2 be nothing less than something (also be nothing short of something)VERY used to emphasize that something or someone has a particular quality or seems to be something 简直是；近乎〔用于强调〕Origin nothing1 Old English nan thing, nathing “no thing”noth·ing1 pronoun →10-19
→5 GRAMMAR1 →n GRAMMAR2nothing2 adverbLDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable
→5 GRAMMAR1 →n GRAMMAR2nothing2 adverbLDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable
Corpus or thing anything no not
nothing
noth‧ing1 S1 W1 /ˈnʌθɪŋ/ 
pronoun
Nothing ever happens in this town.
There’s nothing in this box.
There was nothing else the doctors could do.
He had nothing more to say.
We know nothing about her family.
I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
I promised to say nothing about it to anyone.
We’ve heard nothing from her for weeks.
There’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
‘Do you know much about business?’ ‘Nothing at all.’
She had eaten virtually nothing at supper.
There’s nothing wrong with the data.
There’s nothing new about this.
A brief search was made but they found nothing untoward.
2. nothing but only:
She’d had nothing but bad luck.
3. have nothing against somebody/something if you have nothing against someone or something, they do not annoy or offend you:
I have nothing against him personally.
4. something which is considered unimportant, not interesting, or not worth worrying about:
‘What have you been doing?’ ‘Nothing. Just sitting here.’
There’s nothing on television tonight.
‘What did you do last weekend?’ ‘Oh, nothing much.’
Politics meant nothing (=was not important) to me for years.
The meal was nothing special (=it was not unusual or interesting) – just fish with a cheese sauce.
5. especially American English zero
SYN nil British English:
We beat them ten to nothing.
6. have/be nothing to do with somebody/something if you have nothing to do with someone or something, or if someone or something has nothing to do with you, you are not involved or connected with it:
He said that he had nothing to do with the decision.
As I said, it’s nothing to do with me.
That’s got nothing to do with you.
I want nothing to do with (=do not want to be involved) the whole thing.
My staff had nothing whatsoever to do with this.
7. for nothing
a. without paying for something or being paid for something:
Why pay a plumber when my brother will do it for nothing?
b. if you do something for nothing, you make an effort but do not get the result you want:
We went all that way for nothing.
8. no money or payment at all:
This service will cost you nothing.
When a car has done that many miles, it’s worth nothing.
9. there’s nothing like something used to say that something is very good:
There’s nothing like a long hot bath after a day’s climbing.
10. there’s nothing in/to something used to say that what people are saying about someone or something is not true:
It seems there’s nothing in the rumours that she’s pregnant.
11. if nothing else used to emphasize one good quality or feature that someone or something has, while suggesting that it might be the only good one:
If nothing else, the report points out the need for better math education.
12. come to nothing if a plan or action comes to nothing, it does not continue or does not achieve anything
13. be nothing if not something used to emphasize a particular quality that someone or something has:
You’ve got to admit – he’s nothing if not persistent.
14. nothing doing spoken used to refuse to do something
15. (there’s) nothing to it spoken used to say that something is easy to do:
Anyone can use a computer. There’s nothing to it!
16. it was nothing/think nothing of it spoken used when someone has thanked you a lot for something you have done for them:
‘Thank you so much.’ ‘Oh, it was nothing.’
17. nothing of the sort/kind spoken used to say strongly or angrily that something is not true or will not happen:
‘I’ll pay.’ ‘You’ll do nothing of the sort!’
18. have nothing on somebody informal if someone has nothing on you, they are not better than you at something:
She’s got nothing on you when it comes to writing.
19. there’s nothing for it but to do something British English used when there is only one thing you can do in a particular situation:
There was nothing for it but to go back the way we came.
⇨ sweet nothings at sweet1(13), ⇨ to say nothing of at say1(46), ⇨ nothing on earth at earth1(9)
GRAMMAR
Do not use nothing with another negative word (eg 'not'). Use anything:
▪I could not find anything suitable (NOT I could not find nothing suitable).
nothing2 adverb
1. be/seem/look nothing like somebody/something to have no qualities or features that are similar to someone or something else:
She’s nothing like her brother.
She looked nothing like her photograph.
2. be nothing less than something (also be nothing short of something) used to emphasize that something or someone has a particular quality or seems to be something:
His behaviour was nothing short of rudeness.
| I |
pronoun Language: Old English
Origin: nan thing, nathing 'no thing'
1. not anything or no thing:Origin: nan thing, nathing 'no thing'
2. nothing but only:
3. have nothing against somebody/something if you have nothing against someone or something, they do not annoy or offend you:
4. something which is considered unimportant, not interesting, or not worth worrying about:
5. especially American English zero
SYN nil British English:
6. have/be nothing to do with somebody/something if you have nothing to do with someone or something, or if someone or something has nothing to do with you, you are not involved or connected with it:
7. for nothing
a. without paying for something or being paid for something:
b. if you do something for nothing, you make an effort but do not get the result you want:
8. no money or payment at all:
9. there’s nothing like something used to say that something is very good:
10. there’s nothing in/to something used to say that what people are saying about someone or something is not true:
11. if nothing else used to emphasize one good quality or feature that someone or something has, while suggesting that it might be the only good one:
12. come to nothing if a plan or action comes to nothing, it does not continue or does not achieve anything
13. be nothing if not something used to emphasize a particular quality that someone or something has:
14. nothing doing spoken used to refuse to do something
15. (there’s) nothing to it spoken used to say that something is easy to do:
16. it was nothing/think nothing of it spoken used when someone has thanked you a lot for something you have done for them:
17. nothing of the sort/kind spoken used to say strongly or angrily that something is not true or will not happen:
18. have nothing on somebody informal if someone has nothing on you, they are not better than you at something:
19. there’s nothing for it but to do something British English used when there is only one thing you can do in a particular situation:
⇨ sweet nothings at sweet1(13), ⇨ to say nothing of at say1(46), ⇨ nothing on earth at earth1(9)
GRAMMAR
Do not use nothing with another negative word (eg 'not'). Use anything:
▪
| II |
adverb1. be/seem/look nothing like somebody/something to have no qualities or features that are similar to someone or something else:
2. be nothing less than something (also be nothing short of something) used to emphasize that something or someone has a particular quality or seems to be something:
