zero out
phrasal verb
zeroed out; zeroing out; zeroes out
US
1
: to reduce the amount of (something) to zero
Be sure to zero out the account before you switch banks.
2
: to remove (something) completely
This program will be zeroed out in the budget for next year.
New legislation will zero out further funding for the project.
Examples of zero out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The city of Chicago’s checking account has been zeroed out and no one in City Hall is willing to take responsibility.
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 2 July 2025
Ask yourself: When June’s budget zeroes out, what’s left of your LGBTQ+ marketing commitment - and will that investment still be visible come December?
—Gillian Oakenfull, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
That usually rules out new policy prescriptions, though lawmakers in both parties try to find clever ways to squeeze them in; the 2017 tax bill effectively killed Obamacare’s individual mandate by zeroing out its tax penalty.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 4 June 2025
But with thousands of government employees being laid off and funding for certain federal agencies and programs being zeroed out, experts say Trump’s early actions could be longer-lasting than those of most of his predecessors.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for zero out
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 2 July 2025
Ask yourself: When June’s budget zeroes out, what’s left of your LGBTQ+ marketing commitment - and will that investment still be visible come December?
—Gillian Oakenfull, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
That usually rules out new policy prescriptions, though lawmakers in both parties try to find clever ways to squeeze them in; the 2017 tax bill effectively killed Obamacare’s individual mandate by zeroing out its tax penalty.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 4 June 2025
But with thousands of government employees being laid off and funding for certain federal agencies and programs being zeroed out, experts say Trump’s early actions could be longer-lasting than those of most of his predecessors.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for zero out
Cite this Entry
“Zero out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zero%20out. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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