A non-existent or empty value or set of values.
"The report showed a null result because no participants signed up for the study."
In plain English: Null means having no value or effect at all.
"The judge ruled that the entire contract was null and void."
Usage: Use "null" as a noun to describe a specific data state that represents nothingness or an empty value, particularly in computing and logic contexts. It is not used in everyday conversation to mean "zero" or "none" outside of technical discussions.
To nullify; to annul.
"The judge ruled that the new evidence was inadmissible, effectively nullifying the prosecution's entire case."
In plain English: To null something means to make it completely useless or invalid so that it has no effect anymore.
"The court nullified the contract because one party had not signed it."
Usage: Use "null" as a verb only in formal or legal contexts to mean officially canceling or invalidating an agreement or action. In everyday speech, it is far more common and correct to use the noun form "null and void" rather than treating "null" as an active verb.
Having no validity; "null and void"
"The judge declared the entire contract null, rendering every clause legally unenforceable from that moment forward."
In plain English: Null means having no value, effect, or importance at all.
"The null result from the experiment surprised the entire team."
Usage: Use "null" to describe something that has no legal force or validity, often appearing in the fixed phrase "null and void." Do not use it simply to mean empty or zero in everyday conversation.
A surname.
"The genealogist discovered that several members of the Null family had settled in New Mexico during the colonial era."
The word null comes from the Middle French nul, which was borrowed from the Latin nūllus. Its original meaning was simply "none."