Meaning

1 senses

  1. (US, informal)To cause to score nothing, to thoroughly defeat.

Examples

3 sentences

  1. I understand zilch.

    menaud · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · C2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  2. "How much money do you have?" "Zilch."

    soliloquist · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  3. "How many questions did you get right?" "Zilch."

    ru"На сколько вопросов ты ответил правильно?" – "Ни на сколько". — xmoffx

    darinmex · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Origin

Probably from Joe Zilch, a placeholder name (compare John Doe) used by Nunnally Johnson in

Probably from Joe Zilch, a placeholder name (compare John Doe) used by Nunnally Johnson in his column in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from 1923; in turn from Joe Zilch, an unseen character referenced in comedian Frank Tinney's stage routine. Compare the rare German surname Zilch.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

zilches, zilching, zilched, zilched
Base formzilch · to zilch
3rd person singularzilches
Present participlezilching
Past simplezilched
Past participlezilched

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theyzilch
he, she, itzilches

Past simpleLesson

all personszilched

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave zilched
he, she, ithas zilched

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill zilch

Synonyms

1 synonyms
shutout

Lessons for this word

3 lessons

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
zigzagzillionzinczine
zilch — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto