NIL definition: 1. In sports results, nil means 'zero': 2. not existing: . Learn more. Nill is an old and rarely used verb that means to refuse or reject, while Nil is a common noun that means zero or nothing. Learn the origin, context, and comparison of these two words, and see how they are spelled and pronounced. The meaning of NIL is nothing, zero. How to use nil in a sentence. ‘Null’ and ‘nil,’ though they have specific usages, are generally interchangeable as they essentially mean the same. Unless the context requires a specific word, ‘null’ and ‘nil’ are interchangeable.