void

[ void ]

adjective

1. Law. having no legal force or effect; not legally binding or enforceable.
2. useless; ineffectual; vain.
3. devoid; destitute (usually followed by of ):

   a life void of meaning.

4. without contents; empty.
5. without an incumbent, as an office.

   Synonyms: unoccupied, vacant

6. Mathematics. (of a set) containing no elements; empty.
7. (in cards) having no cards in a suit.

noun

1. an empty space; emptiness:

   He disappeared into the void.

   Synonyms: lack, absence, vacuum

2. something experienced as a loss or privation:

   His death left a great void in her life.

3. a gap or opening, as in a wall.
4. Typography. counter ³( def 10 ).
5. (in cards) lack of cards in a suit:

   a void in clubs.

verb (used with object)

1. to make ineffectual; invalidate; nullify:

   to void a check.

2. to empty; discharge; evacuate:

   to void excrement.

3. to clear or empty (often followed by of ):

   to void a chamber of occupants.

4. Archaic. to depart from; vacate.

verb (used without object)

1. to defecate or urinate.

void

/ vɔɪd /

adjective

1. without contents; empty
2. not legally binding

   null and void

3. (of an office, house, position, etc) without an incumbent; unoccupied
4. postpositivefoll byof destitute or devoid

   void of resources

5. having no effect; useless

   all his efforts were rendered void

6. (of a card suit or player) having no cards in a particular suit

   his spades were void

noun

1. an empty space or area

   the huge desert voids of Asia

2. a feeling or condition of loneliness or deprivation

   his divorce left him in a void

3. a lack of any cards in one suit

   to have a void in spades

4. Also calledcounter the inside area of a character of type, such as the inside of an o

verb

1. to make ineffective or invalid
2. to empty (contents, etc) or make empty of contents
3. also intr to discharge the contents of (the bowels or urinary bladder)
4. archaic.
   to vacate (a place, room, etc)
5. obsolete.
   to expel

Derived Forms

• ˈvoidness, noun
• ˈvoider, noun

Other Words From

• voidness noun
• non·void adjective noun
• pre·void verb (used with object)
• un·void adjective
• un·voidness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of void¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; (adjective) Middle English voide, from Anglo-French, Old French voide, voit, vuide, vuit ( French vide ), from unattested Vulgar Latin vocīta, vocita feminine of vocītus, vocitus unattested and dissimilated variant of Latin vacīvus, vocīvus, “empty”; vacuum; (verb) Middle English voiden, from Anglo-French voider, Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin vocitāre, derivative of unattested vocītus, vocitus; (noun) derivative of the adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of void¹

C13: from Old French vuide, from Vulgar Latin vocītus (unattested), from Latin vacuus empty, from vacāre to be empty

Idioms and Phrases

see null and void .

Synonym Study

See empty.

Example Sentences

“We understand that nothing can truly fill the void left by her absence, but we hope that the guilty verdicts brings a measure of justice and peace.”

From Los Angeles Times

As things break, we have to be ready to swoop into the void to replace them with things we can control, things that work better and things built by the people on the principles of solidarity, equality and sharing.

From Salon

But for many Vistara loyalists, its demise leaves a void in India’s skies for a premium, full-service carrier - marking the third such gap after the collapse of Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways.

From BBC

It’s still too early to say if Air India, which often ranks at the bottom of airline surveys, can successfully fill that void.

From BBC

The person who posted it on X claims that voting for anyone else would render the ballot void.

From BBC

Related Words

• blank
• gap
• vacuum