zero

number (plural zeros)

• no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0:figures from zero to nine you’ve left off a zero—it should be five hundred million
• a point on a scale or instrument from which a positive or negative quantity is reckoned:the gauge dropped to zero [as modifier]:a zero rate of interest
• the temperature corresponding to 0° on the Celsius scale (32° Fahrenheit), marking the freezing point of water:the temperature was below zero
• [usually as modifier] Linguistics the absence of an actual word or morpheme to realize a syntactic or morphological phenomenon:the zero plural in ‘three sheep’
• the lowest possible amount or level; nothing at all:I rated my chances as zero
• short for zero hour.
• informal a worthless or contemptibly undistinguished person:her husband is an absolute zero

verb (zeroes, zeroing, zeroed)

• 1adjust (an instrument) to zero:zero the counter when the tape has rewound

• 2set the sights of (a gun) for firing: the rifle had been zeroed at an elevation of 200