Void means completely empty, with nothing inside. A void in space is a vast emptiness between stars and galaxies, stretching for millions of light-years with almost nothing in it. When a container is void of air, it contains no air at all, not even the oxygen and nitrogen we breathe.

The word also describes something that has no legal force or effect. When a judge declares a contract void, it means the contract never really existed in the first place and nobody has to follow it. A ticket might say “void if altered,” meaning if you change anything on it, it becomes worthless. When someone makes a serious error filling out an official form, they might need to mark it void and start over with a fresh copy.

People use void to describe an intense feeling of emptiness too. After a best friend moves away, you might feel a void where that friendship used to be. When something fills that emptiness again, like making a new friend, we say it fills the void.