void

1. not comparableContaining nothing; empty; not occupied or filled.

   Today's youth's brains are sucked void of common sense.

   3 more examples

   I'll get me to a place more void.

   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]

   And the earth was without forme, and voyd, and darkeneſſe was vpon the face of the deepe: and the Spirit of God mooued vpon the face of the waters.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 1:2, column 1

   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.

   Synonyms: vacant, unfilled, empty, empty as a pauper's purse, empty as the tomb on Easter, clean, leer, toom

2. not comparableHaving no incumbent; unoccupied; said of offices etc.

   divers great offices that had been long void

   1625, Francis [Bacon], Apophthegmes New and Old. […], London: […] Hanna Barret, and Richard Whittaker, […], →OCLC

3. not comparablewith ofBeing without; destitute; devoid.

   He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbor.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 11:12

   2 more examples

   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.

   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

   I envy not in any moods ⁠The captive void of noble rage, ⁠The linnet born within the cage, That never knew the summer woods: […]

   1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXVII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 44

   Synonyms: bereft of, destitute of, absent, awanting, bereft of, deficient of, deprived of, destitute of

4. not comparableNot producing any effect; ineffectual; vain.

   I will make void the counsel of Judah.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jeremy 19:7

   1 more example

   [My word] shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 55:11

   Synonyms: pointless, useless, bootless, barren, futile, sterile, fruitless, gainless

5. not comparableOf no legal force or effect, incapable of confirmation or ratification.

   null and void

   1 more example

   Taiwan's government says that as the island has never been ruled by the People's Republic of China, its sovereignty claims are void.

   2022 September 21, Martin Pollard, Ben Blanchard, “China willing to make utmost effort for peaceful 'reunification' with Taiwan”, in Michael Perry, editor, Reuters, archived from the original on 21 Sep 2022, Asia Pacific

6. not comparableContaining no immaterial quality; destitute of mind or soul.

   And senseless words she gave, and sounding strain, / But senseless, lifeless! idol void and vain!

   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

7. not comparablecomputingOf a function or method, that does not return a value; being a procedure rather than a function.

   The return value can safely be ignored if it is a void function.

   2007, Andrew Krause, Foundations of GTK+ Development

   1 more example

   In particular, the roll method is void — it has no return value.

   2005, Craig Larman, Applying UML and patterns

8. not comparablebridgeHaving no cards in a particular suit.

plural voids

1. 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.

   1 more example

   Pride, where Wit fails, steps in to our defence, / And fills up all the mighty void of Sense.

   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

2. astronomyAn extended region of space containing no galaxies.
3. materials scienceA collection of adjacent vacancies inside a crystal lattice.

   Synonyms: pore

4. fluid mechanicsA pocket of vapour inside a fluid flow, created by cavitation.

   Synonyms: bubble

5. businessAn empty space between floors or walls, including false separations and planned gaps between a building and its facade.
6. InternetendearinghumorousA black cat.

   My little void is so sweet sometimes.

   3 more examples

   Black cat owners often lovingly refer to their dark-haired feline friends as house panthers or ‘voids.’

   2024 October 31, Marc Vartabedian, quoting Cat Care Society, “'Maybe You’re Bad Luck.' Black Cat Nation Strikes Back”, in The Wall Street Journal

   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."

   2025 May 9, Melissa Fleur Afshar, “Reddit Users Unite Over Black Cats 'Hiding Secrets' in Their Fur”, in The Wall Street Journal

   Plenty of fellow cat owners took to the comments to share how their own voids keep them on their toes.

   2026 February 20, Alyce Collins, “Black Cat Owner's Mistaken Identity Mix‑Up Leaves Internet in Hysterics”, in Newsweek

   Antonyms: cloud

7. An empty place; a location that has nothing useful.

   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.

   2022 December 14, Paul Stephen, “HS2's Dorothy starts to dig second tunnel bore”, in RAIL, number 972, page 23

8. bridgeThe lack of cards in a particular suit.
9. A cavity or empty space caused by water erosion.

   1 more example

   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.

   2025 February 5, “Network News: "Large void" caused by damaged pipe led to Class 195 derailment”, in RAIL, number 1028, page 18

10. medicineAn instance of urination.
11. Oblivion.

    I have no patience left. Return, thy dreams. Into the void where none may hear your screams.

    2023 December 18, “Galactus VS Unicron (Marvel Comics VS Transformers)” (16:59 from the start), in DEATH BATTLE!, season 10, episode 16, spoken by Galactus (Wolf Williams)

present singular third person voids · participle present voiding · participle past voided · past voided

1. transitiveTo make invalid or worthless.

   Near-synonym: nullify

   4 more examples

   He voided the check and returned it.

   Opening this subassembly will void the warranty; there are no user-serviceable parts inside it.

   It was become a practice[…]to void the security that was at any time given for money so borrowed.

   1702–1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, (please specify |book=I to XVI), in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the [Sheldonian] Theater

   after they had voided the obligation of the oath he had taken

   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

   Synonyms: nullify, annul, cancel

2. transitivemedicineSynonym of empty (verb).

   void one’s bowels

   1 more example

   void one’s bladder

   Synonyms: empty, evacuate

3. To throw or send out; to evacuate; to emit; to discharge.

   to void excrement

   3 more examples

   You, that did void your rheum upon my beard, And foot me as you spurn a stranger cur

   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)

   With shovel, like a fury, voided out / The earth and scattered bones.

   1612, John Webster, The White Devil

   a watchful application of mind in voiding prejudices

   a. 1692, Isaac Barrow, The Danger and Mischief of Delaying Repentance

4. intransitiveobsoleteTo withdraw; to depart.

   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

   1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “xvj”, in Le Morte Darthur, book I

5. obsoletetransitiveTo remove the contents of; to make or leave vacant or empty; to quit; to leave.

   to void a table

   1 more example

   If they will fight with us, bid them come down, / Or void the field.

   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)

plural voids

1. archaichistoricalA voidee.First known use 15th c.

   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.

   2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 68