for nothing

English

Adverb

for nothing (not comparable)

2. For free.

   I got it for nothing. They are giving them away as publicity.

3. For no reason.
   2. In vain, uselessly, wastefully, or pointlessly.

      I wrote ten pages of information for nothing. He just chucked it in a drawer without reading it!

   4. Without cause or without due cause.

      Synonym: for no good reason

      Antonyms: not for nothing, with good reason

      A: Then he walked up to me and shoved me. B: What the hell? What for? A: For nothing!

      A: Then she filed suit against the restaurant. B: What the hell? For what? A: For nothing! Not so much for allegedly being negligent as for having some money that she might shake down!

Related terms

• what for, for what

 

Translations

for free

• Dutch: voor niets
• Finnish: ilmaiseksi (fi)
• German: umsonst (de), für umsonst
• Latin: grātīs
• Maori: utukore (mi)
• Polish: za darmo (pl)
• Russian: зря (ru) (zrja), да́ром (ru) (dárom), впусту́ю (ru) (vpustúju), без по́льзы (ru) (bez pólʹzy)
• Scottish Gaelic: an-asgaidh
• Spanish: de balde

for no reason

• Dutch: voor niets, voor saus
• Finnish: suotta (fi), turhaan (fi), tyhjän takia
• French: pour rien, en pure perte (fr)
• German: umsonst (de), für nichts
• Ingrian: turhaa
• Latin: nēquīquam (la), frustrā (la)
• Ngazidja Comorian: ɓure
• Old English: on īdel
• Plautdietsch: vejäfs
• Polish: na marne
• Russian: и́з-за пустяка́ (ru) (íz-za pustjaká), напра́сно (ru) (naprásno), понапра́сну (ru) (ponaprásnu)