nowhere

1 of 3

adverb

no·​where ˈnō-ˌ(h)wer How to pronounce nowhere (audio)
-(h)wər
1
: not in or at any place
The book is nowhere to be found.
2
: to no place
I've gotten nowhere with my research.
Arguing will get us nowhere.
3
: not at all : not to the least extent
usually used with near
nowhere near as serious
nowhere near enough

nowhere

2 of 3

noun

1
: a nonexistent place
2
: an unknown, distant, or obscure place or state
rose to fame out of nowhere

nowhere

3 of 3

adjective

: of or relating to a remote or relatively unknown location
a nowhere town
Phrases
miles from nowhere
: in an extremely remote place

Examples of nowhere in a Sentence

Adverb I have nowhere to go. Nowhere is there more of a population problem than in this city. Noun from the looks of things, we're stranded in nowhere and most likely its proverbial middle in a few short years he rose out of nowhere to prominence in the tech industry
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
This is close to Barbagia, in the central part of the island — really in the middle of nowhere. Laura May Todd, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024 Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 20 Mar. 2024 Last week, seemingly out of nowhere, the US House of Representatives passed a bill that would force Chinese company ByteDance to sell TikTok or otherwise ban it from operating in the US. Ariel Shapiro, The Verge, 19 Mar. 2024 In our commodified, risk-averse world, the notion of the culinary beacon in the middle of nowhere is all but a romantic myth. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024 The church sits in an isolated part of a hilly expanse in the middle of nowhere, perpetually surrounded by a parade of gray clouds. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 For example, portions of Middleton's hair appear to have an unnatural texture, and the zipper on her jacket leads to nowhere. Reece Rogers, WIRED, 12 Mar. 2024 The story follows Giamatti as a strict professor who is forced to chaperone students (including newcomer Dominic Sessa) with nowhere to go on Christmas break. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024 Seemingly out of nowhere, Auggie begins having problems with her eyes. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
The most enduring symbol of that series: Manu Ginobili at age 36, weaving his way through traffic in Game 5, giving a stiff-arm to 2013 tormentor Ray Allen before exploding for an out-of-nowhere dunk on Chris Bosh. Jeff McDonald, ExpressNews.com, 18 May 2020 While the series has officially concluded, this comeback special fast forwards to an entirely new, out-of-nowhere plot point and is therefore easy to watch for novices. Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 13 May 2020 The closure of residential programs is particularly hard on recovering addicts faced with the elements and nowhere else to go, Burns points out. Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2020 Most of us have plenty of time on our hands and nowhere to go. Michelle Krupa, CNN, 29 Mar. 2020 An early, out-of-nowhere jump scare keeps you on edge the entire time, even though the rest of the movie's pretty quiet as Rachel (Naomi Watts) attempts to save her son from the extremely pissed off ghost Samara. Katherine J Igoe, Marie Claire, 19 Mar. 2020 The new coronavirus has brought sports across the globe to a halt, but perhaps nowhere was that abrupt ending more stunning than in the locker room of the UK rifle team. Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, 20 Mar. 2020 An out-of-nowhere VP choice might be enough to generate a boomlet of media attention, but there are limited options. Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 8 Apr. 2020 As were the Goin' to Work Pistons from 2002-2008, and the out-of-nowhere Tigers from 2006, Justin Verlander's first two no-hitters and the four straight AL Central Division championships. Kirkland Crawford, Detroit Free Press, 20 Mar. 2020
Adjective
But the growth of the surrounding city had turned it into an awkward nowhere zone. Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023 With nowhere to go and no money to rent an apartment, many including Savita’s family had no choice but to live under tarpaulin sheets on the rugged land, even as torrential rains and floods battered the city. Rhea Mogul, CNN, 5 Sep. 2023 With nowhere to go, police rushed in, some jumping barricades. Andrew Blankstein, NBC News, 15 Feb. 2024 Straight out of the can, in an onigiri, or on a Niçoise Toast there’s nowhere Starkist won't shine. Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 8 Jan. 2024 For the New York or nowhere type Welcome to New York, as seen through the eyes of Scottish photographer Oliver Pilcher. Sarah Grossbart, wsj.com, 9 Nov. 2023 Agencies described children and families roaming the streets, unable to find food and with nowhere to go. Yasmine Salam, NBC News, 10 Dec. 2023 More of Larry Bird’s backstory, which begins in the nowhere town of French Lick, Indiana, is showcased. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 4 Aug. 2023 Hearts dissemble, jealousies can spring up out of nowhere and erotic desire leads everyone astray. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nowhere.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1889, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nowhere was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near nowhere

Cite this Entry

“Nowhere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nowhere. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nowhere

1 of 2 adverb
no·​where ˈnō-ˌhwe(ə)r How to pronounce nowhere (audio)
-ˌwe(ə)r,
-ˌhwa(ə)r,
-ˌwa(ə)r,
-hwər,
-wər
1
: not in or at any place
2
: to no place
3
: not at all : not to the least extent
usually used with near
nowhere near enough

nowhere

2 of 2 noun
: a place that does not exist
sounds seeming to come from nowhere

More from Merriam-Webster on nowhere

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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