bring to naught

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

To frustrate; to bring to naught; to annihilate.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah

Did I not long ago              Adjure you to return unto the court              And bring to naught the plotting of my foes!—

From The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 06 Masterpieces of German Literature Translated into English. in Twenty Volumes by Francke, Kuno

But incidents such as these, which bring to naught all human calculation, can, indeed must, be left out of account, when considering the character of a given moment, and the prospects of peace or war.

From McClure's Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 1 by Various

Such was the equipment of the four boats which were destined to bring to naught all the navies and armies of Britain. 

From Danger! and Other Stories by Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir

So Providence moves on in his mysterious power to bring to naught the grandeur and power of rebellious nations—rebellious to those mighty moral laws which are as inexorable as the laws of nature.

From Ancient States and Empires by Lord, John