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English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English voide, voyde, from Old French vuit, voide, vuide (modern vide), in turn from Vulgar Latin *vocitum, ultimately from Latin vacuus.
Adjective
void (not comparable)
- Containing nothing; empty; not occupied or filled.
- Synonyms: vacant, unfilled; see also Thesaurus:empty
1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]:I'll get me to a place more void.
- c. 1619–22, Philip Massinger and John Fletcher, A Very Woman
- I'll chain him in my study, that, at void hours, / I may run over the story of his country.
- Having no incumbent; unoccupied; said of offices etc.
1625, Francis [Bacon], Apophthegmes New and Old. […], London: […] Hanna Barret, and Richard Whittaker, […], →OCLC:
- (with of) Being without; destitute; devoid.
- Synonyms: bereft of, destitute of; see also Thesaurus:lacking
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene ii:Suppoſe they be in number infinit,
Yet being voyd of Martiall diſcipline,
All running headlong after greedie ſpoiles: […]
Their careleſſe ſwords ſhal lanch their fellows throats
And make vs triumph in their ouerthrow.
1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXVII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 44:I envy not in any moods
The captive void of noble rage,
The linnet born within the cage,
That never knew the summer woods: […]
- Not producing any effect; ineffectual; vain.
- Synonyms: pointless, useless; see also Thesaurus:futile
- Of no legal force or effect, incapable of confirmation or ratification.
- null and void
2022 September 21, Martin Pollard, Ben Blanchard, “China willing to make utmost effort for peaceful 'reunification' with Taiwan”, in Michael Perry, editor, Reuters[1], archived from the original on 21 September 2022, Asia Pacific:Taiwan's government says that as the island has never been ruled by the People's Republic of China, its sovereignty claims are void.
- Containing no immaterial quality; destitute of mind or soul.
1728, Alexander Pope, “Book II”, in The Dunciad; republished in The Complete Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Boston, New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1902, page 231:And senseless words she gave, and sounding strain, / But senseless, lifeless! idol void and vain!
- (programming) Of a function or method, that does not return a value; being a procedure rather than a function.
2005, Craig Larman, Applying UML and patterns:In particular, the roll method is void — it has no return value.
2007, Andrew Krause, Foundations of GTK+ Development:The return value can safely be ignored if it is a void function.
- (bridge) Having no cards in a particular suit.
Descendants
Translations
- Bulgarian: празен (bg) (prazen)
- Dutch: leeg (nl), leegte (nl)
- Finnish: tyhjä (fi)
- French: vide (fr), libre (fr)
- Georgian: ცარიელი (carieli)
- German: leer (de)
- Greek: άδειος (el) m (ádeios)
- Hindi: रिक्त (hi) (rikt)
- Hungarian: üres (hu)
- Indonesian: kosong (id)
- Italian: vuoto (it)
- Macedonian: пра́зен (prázen)
- Māori: hemahema, tahanga, mārua, tiare, tīareare
- Old English: ǣmettig, īdel
- Polish: pusty (pl), próżny (pl)
- Portuguese: vazio (pt) m, vazia (pt) f
- Russian: пустой (ru) m (pustoj), порожний (ru) m (porožnij)
- Spanish: huero (es)
- Swedish: tomrum (sv) n, tom (sv) n
- Turkish:
- Ottoman Turkish: بوش (boş), خالی (hali)
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unoccupied
- Bulgarian: незает (bg) (nezaet), вакантен (bg) (vakanten)
- Dutch: leeg (nl), vacant (nl)
- Finnish: tyhjä (fi)
- French: vacant (fr), vide (fr)
- Georgian: დაუკავებელი (dauḳavebeli), ვაკანტური (vaḳanṭuri)
- German: leer (de)
- Hindi: रिक्त (hi) (rikt)
- Hungarian: megüresedett (hu), megürült, el nem foglalt
- Italian: vuoto (it)
- Macedonian: сло́боден (slóboden), ва́кантен (vákanten), пра́зен (prázen)
- Māori: wātea
- Portuguese: vazio (pt) m, vazia (pt) f
- Russian: вакантный (ru) m (vakantnyj)
- Spanish: vacante (es), vacuo (es)
- Turkish:
- Ottoman Turkish: بوش (boş), خالی (hali)
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not producing any effect; ineffectual; vain having lost all legal validity
- Bulgarian: недействителен (bg) (nedejstvitelen)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 无效 (zh) (wúxiào)
- Dutch: ongeldig (nl), nietig (nl)
- Finnish: mitätön (fi)
- French: nul (fr), invalide (fr), caduc (fr)
- Georgian: არარა (arara), ბათილი (batili)
- German: ungültig (de), nichtig (de)
- Hungarian: érvénytelen (hu), semmis (hu)
- Indonesian: batal (id)
- Interlingua: nulle, invalide
- Italian: nullo (it), non valido
- Latin: irritus
- Macedonian: нева́жечки (nevážečki), неи́справен (neíspraven), недејстви́телен (nedejstvítelen)
- Māori: mārua, manakore
- Norwegian: ugyldig (no)
- Plautdietsch: onjeltich
- Polish: nieważny (pl) m
- Portuguese: nulo (pt) m, inválido (pt) m
- Romanian: nul (ro)
- Russian: недействительный (ru) m (nedejstvitelʹnyj)
- Spanish: nulo (es), inválido (es)
- Tagalog: walang-bisa
- Thai: โมฆะ (moo-ká)
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containing no immaterial quality computing: not returning value Noun
void (plural voids)
- An empty space; a vacuum.
Nobody has crossed the void since one man died trying three hundred years ago; it's high time we had another go.
1711, Alexander Pope, “Part II”, in An Essay on Criticism, lines 9–10; republished in The Complete Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Boston, New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1902, page 70:Pride, where Wit fails, steps in to our defence, / And fills up all the mighty void of Sense.
- (astronomy) An extended region of space containing no galaxies.
- (materials science) A collection of adjacent vacancies inside a crystal lattice.
- (fluid mechanics) A pocket of vapour inside a fluid flow, created by cavitation.
- (construction) An empty space between floors or walls, including false separations and planned gaps between a building and its facade.
- (Internet slang, humorous, endearing) A black cat.
- Antonym: (a white cat) cloud
My little void is so sweet sometimes.
2024 October 31, Marc Vartabedian, quoting Cat Care Society, “’Maybe You’re Bad Luck.’ Black Cat Nation Strikes Back”, in The Wall Street Journal[2], New York, N.Y.: Dow Jones & Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:Black cat owners often lovingly refer to their dark-haired feline friends as house panthers or ‘voids.’- (Can we archive this URL?)
2025 May 9, Melissa Fleur Afshar, “Reddit Users Unite Over Black Cats ’Hiding Secrets’ in Their Fur”, in The Wall Street Journal[3], New York, N.Y.: Dow Jones & Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 5 January 2026:Another added: "Always hiding secrets in their fur, I had to get my void extra shaved due to some medical issues and he wasn't happy about it."
2026 February 20, Alyce Collins, “Black Cat Owner's Mistaken Identity Mix‑Up Leaves Internet in Hysterics”, in Newsweek[4], archived from the original on 4 March 2026:Plenty of fellow cat owners took to the comments to share how their own voids keep them on their toes.
- An empty place; a location that has nothing useful.
2022 December 14, Paul Stephen, “HS2's Dorothy starts to dig second tunnel bore”, in RAIL, number 972, page 23:From the logistics hub, the spoil will be taken by rail to Barrington in Cambridgeshire, Cliffe in Kent, and Rugby in Warwickshire. It will be used to fill voids at these locations which will then be used for housing developments.
- (bridge) The lack of cards in a particular suit.
- Coordinate terms: singleton, doubleton
- A cavity or empty space caused by water erosion.
2025 February 5, “Network News: "Large void" caused by damaged pipe led to Class 195 derailment”, in RAIL, number 1028, page 18:A hidden void caused by a partially buried pipe being damaged by a tamper during routine maintenance led to the derailment of a passenger train. […] The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) reported that a "large void" was found in the embankment, but had remained hidden until the train travelled over it.
- (medicine, urology) An instance of urination.
- (with the) Oblivion.
2023 December 18, “Galactus VS Unicron (Marvel Comics VS Transformers)” (16:59 from the start), in DEATH BATTLE![5], season 10, episode 16, spoken by Galactus (Wolf Williams):I have no patience left. Return, thy dreams. Into the void where none may hear your screams.
Synonyms
- ((engineering) collection of vacancies): pore
- ((engineering) pocket of vapour in fluid): bubble
Hyponyms
- ((astronomy) An extended region of space containing no galaxies): Local Void
Derived terms
Translations
- Bulgarian: празнина (bg) f (praznina), вакуум (bg) m (vakuum)
- Catalan: buit (ca) m
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 空虚 (zh) (kōngxū)
- Czech: prázdnota f
- Danish: tomrum n
- Dutch: vacuüm (nl), leegte (nl)
- Esperanto: malpleno
- Finnish: tyhjiö (fi), tyhjyys (fi)
- French: vide (fr) m, néant (fr) m
- Georgian: სიცარიელე (sicariele), ვაკუუმი (vaḳuumi)
- German: Leere (de) f, Vakuum (de) n
- Greek:
- Ancient Greek: κενόν n (kenón)
- Hebrew: חָלָל (he) m (ẖalál), רִיק (he) m (riq)
- Hindi: निर्वात (hi) m (nirvāt), रिक्ति (hi) f (rikti)
- Hungarian: üresség (hu), űr (hu)
- Indonesian: hampa (id)
- Interlingua: vacuo
- Italian: vacuo (it) m, vuoto (it) m
- Japanese: 超空洞 (chō kūdō)
- Latin: lacūna (la) f
- Macedonian: пра́знина f (práznina), ва́куум m (vákuum)
- Māori: hemanga
- Norwegian: intet (no) n, tomhet m, vakuum (no) n, tomrom (no) n
- Polish: pustka (pl) f, próżnia (pl) f
- Portuguese: vazio (pt) m, vácuo (pt) m
- Romanian: vid (ro) n
- Russian: пустота́ (ru) f (pustotá)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: празнина f
- Latin: praznina (sh) f
- Slovene: praznina f
- Spanish: vacío (es) m
- Swedish: tomrum (sv) n
- Turkish: boşluk (tr)
- Yiddish: חלל m (kholel)
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astronomy: an extended region of space containing no galaxies materials science: a collection of adjacent vacancies inside a crystal lattice fluid mechanics: a pocket of vapour inside a fluid flow, created by cavitation construction: an empty space between floors or walls, including false separations and planned gaps between a building and its facade Verb
void (third-person singular simple present voids, present participle voiding, simple past and past participle voided)
- (transitive) To make invalid or worthless.
- Near-synonyms: nullify, (law) defeat
He voided the check and returned it. Opening this subassembly will void the warranty; there are no user-serviceable parts inside it.
a. 1716 (date written), [Gilbert] Burnet, edited by [Gilbert Burnet Jr.], Bishop Burnet’s History of His Own Time. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] Thomas Ward […], published 1724, →OCLC:after they had voided the obligation of the oath he had taken
- (transitive, medicine) Synonym of empty (verb).
void one’s bladder void one’s bowels
- To throw or send out; to evacuate; to emit; to discharge.
to void excrement
c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):You, that did void your rheum upon my beard, And foot me as you spurn a stranger cur
1612, John Webster, The White Devil:With shovel, like a fury, voided out / The earth and scattered bones.
a. 1692, Isaac Barrow, The Danger and Mischief of Delaying Repentance:a watchful application of mind in voiding prejudices
- (intransitive, obsolete) To withdraw; to depart.
1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “xvj”, in Le Morte Darthur, book I:BY than come in to the feld kynge Ban as fyers as a lyon […] / Ha a said kyng Lot we must be discomfyte / for yonder I see the moste valyaunt knyght of the world / and the man of the most renoume / for suche ij bretheren as is kyng Ban & kyng bors ar not lyuynge / wherfore we must nedes voyde or deye- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- (transitive, obsolete) To remove the contents of; to make or leave vacant or empty; to quit; to leave.
to void a table
1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):If they will fight with us, bid them come down, / Or void the field.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
- Bulgarian: анулирам (bg) (anuliram)
- Catalan: anul·lar (ca), invalidar (ca)
- Dutch: annuleren (nl), ongeldig maken
- Finnish: mitätöidä (fi)
- French: annuler (fr), résilier (fr), révoquer (fr)
- Georgian: გაბათილება (gabatileba), გაუქმება (gaukmeba)
- German: löschen (de), annullieren (de)
- Gothic: 𐌱𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌸𐌾𐌰𐌽 (blauþjan)
- Greek:
- Ancient Greek: ἀθετέω (athetéō)
- Hungarian: érvénytelenít (hu), megsemmisít (hu), felbont (hu)
- Indonesian: membatalkan (id)
- Interlingua: annullar, invalidar
- Irish: neamhnigh
- Italian: annullare (it), invalidare (it)
- Macedonian: по́ништи (póništi), анули́ра (anulíra)
- Norwegian: annulere (no), gjøre ugyldig
- Portuguese: anular (pt), invalidar (pt)
- Russian: аннулировать (ru) impf (annulirovatʹ)
- Spanish: infirmar (es)
- Swedish: annullera (sv), upphäva (sv)
- Tagalog: waling-bisa
- Welsh: dirymu
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Etymology 2
Alteration of voidee.
Noun
void (plural voids)
- (now rare, historical) A voidee. [from 15th c.]
2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 68:Late on the final evening, as the customary ‘void’ – spiced wine and sweetmeats – was served, more elaborate disguisings in the great hall culminated in the release of a flock of white doves.
Anagrams
Indonesian
Etymology
Borrowed from English void.
Pronunciation
Adjective
void (comparative lebih void, superlative paling void)
- (law) void (having lost all legal validity)
Noun
void (plural void-void)
- void
- (astronomy) an extended region of space containing no galaxies
- Synonym: ruang hampa
- (construction, sometimes technical) an empty space between floors or walls, including false separations and planned gaps between a building and its facade
- Synonym: ruang hampa
Further reading
Middle French
Alternative forms
Verb
void
- third-person singular indicative present of veoir
Spanish
Verb
void
- (Internet slang, text messaging) voy
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