void

adjective \ ˈvȯid \

Updated on: 30 Nov 2017

Definition of void

1 a : of no legal force or effect : null

a void contract

b : voidable

2 : containing nothing

void space

3 a : not occupied : vacant

a void bishopric

b : not inhabited : deserted

4 : idle, leisure

5 a : being without something specified : devoid

a nature void of all malice

b : having no members or examples; specifically, of a suit : having no cards represented in a particular hand

6 : vain, useless

—

voidness

noun

See void defined for English-language learners

See void defined for kids

Examples of void in a Sentence

This sales offer is void where prohibited by law.
an agreement is void if obtained by force

Recent Examples of void from the Web

Formerly outcast Oumar Niasse has filled some of the goal void left by Lukaku, with three goals in his last four outings for the Toffees.

— SI.com, "Everton Dealt January Blow as Plan to Bring On-Loan Striker Back to Goodison Park Falls Through," 18 Oct. 2017
This Promotion is void outside the state of Oregon and Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Skamania, Wahkiakum, and Pacific Counties in Washington, and where prohibited.

— karly imus, OregonLive.com, "Project Nora: Complete rules for children's drawing contest," 15 Oct. 2017
How could men like Madison who believed so deeply in God and religious liberty be so barren and void of humanity at the same time?

— NBC News, "Analysis: From History To Healing: An American Journey on Race," 28 Sep. 2017
For the fashion-lover, the hunt for the perfect bridal gown can, at times, be void of romance.

— christian oth, Harper's BAZAAR, "Lady of the Lake: 14 Jaw-Dropping Gowns For The Fashion-Loving Bride," 28 Sep. 2017
Promotion is subject to federal, state and local regulations and laws, and is void where taxed, restricted or prohibited.

— Detroit Free Press, "Win tickets to see 'The Holy Grail' and John Cleese at the Fillmore Detroit," 22 Sep. 2017
This Promotion is void outside the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, and where prohibited.

— bon appétit, Bon Appetit, "Win A Luxury Cruise Through The Caribbean Contest Rules," 27 Mar. 2017
Additional entries received from any such person or email address thereafter will be void.

— baltimoresun.com, "Official rules: The Baltimore Sun's 2017 holiday cookie contest," 17 Oct. 2017
The city was completely void of civilians when our forces broke in.

— WSJ, "Iraq Claims Victory Over Islamic State in Hawija," 5 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'void.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of void

Middle English voyde, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *vocitus, alteration of Latin vocivus, vacivus empty, from vacare to be empty

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

void Synonyms

Synonyms

bad, inoperative, invalid, nonbinding, nonvalid, nugatory, null and void, null

Antonyms

binding, good, valid

Related Words

illegal; useless, worthless; ineffective, ineffectual

Near Antonyms

legal; working

Synonym Discussion of void

empty, vacant, blank, void, vacuous mean lacking contents which could or should be present. empty suggests a complete absence of contents.

- an empty bucket

vacant suggests an absence of appropriate contents or occupants.

- a vacant apartment

blank stresses the absence of any significant, relieving, or intelligible features on a surface.

- a blank wall

void suggests absolute emptiness as far as the mind or senses can determine.

- a statement void of meaning

vacuous suggests the emptiness of a vacuum and especially the lack of intelligence or significance.

- a vacuous facial expression

void

noun

Definition of void

1 a : opening, gap

b : empty space : emptiness, vacuum

2 : the quality or state of being without something : lack, absence

3 : a feeling of want or hollowness

4 : absence of cards of a particular suit in a hand originally dealt to a player

See void defined for English-language learners

Examples of void in a Sentence

the great voids between galaxies
a repressed memory that left a huge void in her recollection of her adolescent years

Recent Examples of void from the Web

Backup Mitch McKenzie filled the void, but could never produce the same passing dominance.

— charlie hatch, Cincinnati.com, "Colerain High School pummels Moeller High School 45-0 in first round of Ohio high school football playoffs," 3 Nov. 2017
Cosmic rays reveal unknown void in the Great Pyramid of Giza Some 4500 years ago, the ancient Egyptians built the Great Pyramid of Giza as a tomb for the pharaoh Khufu, one that would ferry him to the afterlife.

— roni dengler, Science | AAAS, "Top stories: Dancing Ph.D. students and unearthing the Great Pyramid’s secrets—with cosmic rays," 3 Nov. 2017
The Middle Eastern restaurant fills the void with dishes like chicken kabobs, tabooli, and rack of lamb.

— birmingham magazine, AL.com, "Opinion: Where to get the best Middle Eastern food in Birmingham," 30 Oct. 2017
But China quietly stopped making new loans, leaving Russia to fill the void.

— clifford krauss, New York Times, "Russia Uses Its Oil Giant, Rosneft, as a Foreign Policy Tool," 29 Oct. 2017
At that speed, the object could travel about 150 light-years over the course of 10 million years of hurling through the void.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "Astronomers Might Have Spotted an Interstellar Comet for the First Time," 25 Oct. 2017
Bangladeshi civil and religious organizations have stepped in to fill the void.

— max bearak, Washington Post, "In photos: After harrowing escape from Burma, Rohingya face desperation in Bangladesh," 18 Oct. 2017
From artist lectures to movie screenings and show openings, Snap! fills a void and brings an accessible and worldly perspective of art to Orlando.

— sarah espedido, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Snap! Space brings global perspective on photography to Orlando," 13 Oct. 2017
Thompson’s efforts to track down these skeletons put her in touch with an already nascent effort by anthropologists and other researchers to fill the void of ancient African DNA by harnessing scientific advances.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "Ancient DNA Helps Scientists Shed Light on How Ancient Africans Moved and Mixed," 21 Sep. 2017

First Known Use of void

1616

void Synonyms

Synonyms

hiatus, hole, lacuna, space, gap

Related Words

defectiveness, detriment, disability, failing, fault, impairment, weakness; deficiency, deficit, imperfection, inadequacy, inadequateness, incompleteness, insufficience, insufficiency, lack, need, shortcoming, shortfall, want

Near Antonyms

completeness, fullness

void

verb

Definition of void

transitive verb

1 : nullify, annul

2 a : to make empty or vacant : clear

b archaic : vacate, leave

3 : discharge, emit

intransitive verb

: to eliminate solid or liquid waste from the body

—

voider

noun

See void defined for English-language learners

Examples of void in a Sentence

The judge voided the contract.
Any unauthorized repairs will void the warranty.

Recent Examples of void from the Web

Apple threatens to void iPhone warranties to iPhone owners who jailbreak their devices.

— david kravets, Ars Technica, "Jony Ive’s creativity pales compared to Apple’s App Store lawsuit defense," 11 Oct. 2017
But earlier this week, Puerto Rico's governor announced that the deal would be voided.

— leyla santiago, khushbu shah and rachel clarke, CNN, "Puerto Rico's leaders don't know who has power. We tried to find out," 3 Nov. 2017
In August, the Dallas appeals issued an opinion voided an order for a $205,000 payment to three Houston-area special prosecutors assigned to Paxton's securities fraud case.

— mike ward, Houston Chronicle, "Prosecutors join in on pay squabble in Paxton case," 30 Oct. 2017
On finding that the election procedures or adherence to rules were not followed, a court may void any results of the election.

— donie vanitzian, latimes.com, "Managers can't make up HOA election procedures on the fly," 28 Oct. 2017
The New York State Legislature is considering legislation that would void contract provisions that keep employees from bringing harassment and discrimination claims.

— jim rutenberg, New York Times, "A Long-Delayed Reckoning of the Cost of Silence on Abuse," 22 Oct. 2017
The House legislation would effectively void state and local safety regulations concerning autonomous vehicles that have begun to crop up in the absence of formal federal safety rules.

— john d. mckinnon, WSJ, "House Approves Self-Driving Car Legislation," 6 Sep. 2017
In an article published in the journal Nature on Thursday, an international team said the 30-meter (about 33-yard) void deep within the pyramid is situated above the structure's Grand Gallery, and has a similar cross-section.

— brian rohan, The Christian Science Monitor, "Scientists discover secret chamber in Egypt's Great Pyramid," 3 Nov. 2017
Most congressional Republicans have criticized the Iran deal, and action that could void the agreement would seem to simply be following through on that opposition.

— kristina peterson, WSJ, "Trump Leaves Thorny Issues at GOP Lawmakers’ Doorstep," 11 Oct. 2017

Origin and Etymology of void

Middle English, from Anglo-French voider (Old French of Île-de-France vuider) Vulgar Latin *vocitare, from *vocitus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

void Synonyms

Synonyms

abate, abrogate, annul, avoid, cancel, disannul, dissolve, invalidate, negate, null, nullify, quash, repeal, rescind, roll back, strike down, vacate, abolish

Antonyms

fill, load

Related Words

countermand, override, overrule, overturn, veto; abort, call, call off, drop, recall, retract, reverse, revoke, suspend, withdraw; ban, enjoin, forbid, outlaw, prohibit; disallow, dismiss, reject; annihilate, break down, eliminate, eradicate, erase, liquidate, remove, throw out, write off

Near Antonyms

enact, lay down, legislate; establish, found, institute; formalize, legalize, legitimate, legitimize, validate; pass, ratify; allow, approve, authorize, clear, endorse (also indorse), permit, sanction, warrant; command, decree, mandate, order, prescribe

VOID Defined for English Language Learners

void

adjective

Definition of void for English Language Learners

law : having no legal force or effect
: not containing anything

void

noun

Definition of void for English Language Learners

: a large empty space

void

verb

Definition of void for English Language Learners

law : to make (something) invalid : to say that (something) is no longer in effect

VOID Defined for Kids

void

adjective \ ˈvȯid \

Definition of void for Students

1 : containing nothing : empty

void space

2 : being without : devoid

… I am cast upon a horrible, desolate island, void of all hope of recovery.
—Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

3 : having no legal effect

a void contract

void

noun

Definition of void for Students

: empty space

the great void between planets

Her departure left a void in my life.

Medical Dictionary

void

transitive verb \ ˈvȯid \

medical Definition of void

: to discharge or emit

void urine

intransitive verb

: to eliminate solid or liquid waste from the body

frequent voiding

Law Dictionary

void

adjective \ ˈvȯid \

legal Definition of void

1 : of no force or effect under law

a void marriage

2 : voidable

—

voidness

noun

void

transitive verb

legal Definition of void

: to make or declare void

void a contract

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void

Definition of void

voidness

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void

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void

Definition of void

voider

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VOID Defined for English Language Learners

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void

Definition of void for English Language Learners

void

Definition of void for English Language Learners

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Definition of void for Students

Medical Dictionary

void

medical Definition of void

Law Dictionary

void

legal Definition of void

voidness

void

legal Definition of void

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