[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/nil.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / nil

[← N](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/N/)

# nil

«nil» in Mova's school dictionary: **nothing or zero** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (nil — uncountable); number word

### meaning for a pupil

1) Nil means nothing or zero. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nil/#m1)

2) (UK, sport) Nil is used for zero in match scores: "two–nil". [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nil/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In UK, Irish, Australian and NZ sport talk: "We won three–nil." In formal language: "The risk is nil." In maths it means 0. Phrases: two–nil, nil–nil, nil by mouth (no food or drink in hospital).

### examples

- We won the match three–nil. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nil/#x1)
- The game ended nil–nil. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nil/#x2)
- The chance of snow in summer here is nil. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nil/#x3)
- The patient is nil by mouth before the operation. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nil/#x4)
- Our savings were nil after buying the bike. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nil/#x5)
- His interest in maths was nil until he met Mr Lee. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nil/#x6)

### note

Means 0. In the US people usually say "zero" or "nothing" for scores ("three to nothing"). In maths: adding nil changes nothing; multiplying by nil gives nil. Do not confuse with the river Nile.

### In the corpora

- [ODyn-nol means one–nil, a football score; nol means zero or nil, and nul is also heard.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/ukrainian-street/9-to-a-hundred-first-and-last-red/11/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «nil» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nil/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.