For nothing means either free or in vain. Our neighbour gave us the shelf for nothing: free of charge. We walked to the station for nothing: pointlessly, the trains were cancelled. All for nothing means completely wasted. And not for nothing means for good reason: it's not for nothing that it's called the steep route.
Want to use for nothing in conversation?
Write a sentence — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
get something for nothing; do something for nothing; all for nothing; not for nothing
- Our neighbour gave us the spare bookshelf for nothing.
- We walked to the station for nothing because the trains had been cancelled.
- It's not for nothing that the path is called the steep route.
What changed
First versionWe for nothing waited two hours at the station.
RevisionWe waited two hours at the station for nothing.
Words like only and just often sit before the verb, so for nothing seems to fit there too. But this phrase goes at the end, after the action and its details: waited two hours at the station for nothing. Moved to the end, the sentence sounds natural.
For free means only free of charge, with no double meaning. For nothing can be free or pointless: I worked for nothing could mean unpaid or useless. If you mean free, say for free; if you mean wasted, say in vain.
Your turn
You received the chair without paying: You got it for ___.
Show the answer
nothing — Got it for nothing means you got it without paying. Got it for anything isn't used this way.
Tell how your efforts went to waste and explain why. Use for nothing.
I printed twenty copies for nothing because the meeting was moved online.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.