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Definition of nowhere adverb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

nowhere

adverb
 
 
/ˈnəʊweə(r)/
 
/ˈnəʊwer/
(also informal no place especially in North American English)
Idioms
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  1. not in or to any place
    • I had nowhere to live, so I was sleeping on my sister's couch.
    • There was nowhere for me to sit.
    • ‘Where are you going this weekend?’ ‘Nowhere special.’
    • She doesn't want to stay there but she has nowhere else to go.
    • Nowhere do plants flourish with such vigour as they do in tropical rainforests.
    • This animal is found in Australia, and nowhere else.
    • Nowhere is the effect of government policy more apparent than in agriculture.
    Oxford Collocations DictionaryNowhere is used with these verbs:
    • lead2
    See full entry
    Word OriginOld English nāhwǣr (see no, where).
Idioms
from/out of nowhere
  1. in a sudden and surprising way
    • A huge flock of sheep seemed to appear from nowhere.
    • The attack came from nowhere.
get/go nowhere | get somebody nowhere
  1. to make no progress or have no success; to not enable somebody to make progress or have success
    • We discussed it all morning but got nowhere.
    • Talking to him will get you nowhere.
    • His career was going nowhere fast.
    • The campaign over pay and conditions was getting nowhere.
    Topics Difficulty and failurec1
lead (somebody) nowhere
  1. to have no successful result for somebody
    • This discussion is leading us nowhere.
    • Often there are discoveries which lead nowhere.
    Topics Difficulty and failurec2
the middle of nowhere
  1. (informal) a place that is a long way from other buildings, towns, etc.
    • She lives on a small farm in the middle of nowhere.
not anywhere near/nowhere near
  1. far from; not at all
    • The job doesn't pay anywhere near enough for me.
    • Older cars are nowhere near as fuel-efficient as modern cars.
nowhere near
(also not anywhere near)
  1. far from; not at all
    • Older cars are nowhere near as fuel-efficient as modern cars.
nowhere to be found/seen | nowhere in sight
  1. impossible for anyone to find or see
    • I wanted to talk to him but he was nowhere to be found.
    • The children were nowhere to be seen.
    • A peace settlement is nowhere in sight (= is not likely in the near future).
See nowhere in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee nowhere in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: nowhere

Nearby words

perspective
noun
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 3000
B2
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