In recent past, the investigations on antimicrobial activity of metal-based nanoparticles gained significant interest by implantation of nanotechnology to synthesize the nanoparticles in nanoregion due to their high surface area and high reactivity. Especially, the antimicrobial agents play a pivotal role in various fields where the biological contamination occurs. For instance, microbes control the control the contamination of food in food packaging, in textile industry they can restrict the growth of microorganisms owing to sweat, in medicine they can reduce the risk of contamination in invasive and routine interventions. Owing to their enhanced specific surface area as reduced particle size lead to improved surface activity, zinc based nano particles exhibit good antimicrobial properties. Further, zinc oxide is ecofriendly material which impacts photocatalysis and photo oxidizing on biological and chemical species. This review focused on recent advancements in zinc based nano materials for antimicrobial applications. Specifically, this briefly discussed the various synthesis techniques, shape of various materials, different dopants that enhance the antimicrobial activity of zinc oxide along with antimicrobial properties of those materials.