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View synonyms for not

not

1

[ not ]

adverb

  1. (used to express negation, denial, refusal, or prohibition):

    You must not do that. It's not far from here.

  2. U.S. Slang. (used jocularly as a postpositive interjection to indicate that a previous statement is untrue):

    I just love working overtime without pay. Not!



NOT

2

[ not ]

noun

  1. a Boolean operator that returns a positive result if its operand is negative and a negative result if its operand is positive.

not-

3
  1. variant of noto- before a vowel.

not

1

/ nɒt /

adverb

    1. used to negate the sentence, phrase, or word that it modifies

      I will not stand for it

    2. ( in combination )

      they cannot go

  1. not that
    conjunction which is not to say or suppose that Also (archaic)not but what

    I expect to lose the game — not that I mind

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


sentence substitute

  1. used to indicate denial, negation, or refusal

    certainly not

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

not-

2

combining_form

  1. a variant of noto-
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of not1

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English; weak variant of nought
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Word History and Origins

Origin of not1

C14 not, variant of nought nothing, from Old English nāwiht, from no + wiht creature, thing. See naught , nought
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. not so much, Informal. (an expression of dismissive scorn, ambivalence, or skepticism):

    Attractive? Yes. Smart? Not so much.

    Is the world coming to an end? Yeah, not so much.

More idioms and phrases containing not

  • all that glitters is not gold
  • (not) all there
  • (not) at all
  • believe it or not
  • caught dead, not be
  • (not a) Chinaman's chance
  • coming or going, not know if
  • do as I say (not as I do)
  • game is not worth the candle
  • heart (not) in it
  • hold one's breath, not
  • (not) in the least
  • (not) in the mood
  • it's (not) your funeral
  • last but not least
  • like as not
  • living soul, not a
  • mince matters, not to
  • more often than not
  • (not) move a muscle
  • no problem (not to worry)
  • (not to) sneeze at
  • (not) take no for an answer
  • (not) the half of it
  • (not) turn a hair
  • two wrongs do not make a right
  • waste not, want not
  • whether or not
  • without a (not a) leg to stand on
  • won't (will not) hear of
  • can't
  • couldn't
  • wouldn't
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Example Sentences

“Gently rolling hills” roll not-so-gently under my tires, but the English countryside scenery is soporific.

It was promoted on what might be called not-quite-mainstream or, indeed, axe-to-grind media.

In the not-too-distant future, the AMRAAM might also be out-ranged by new weapons that are being developed around the world.

An autopsy found highly toxic cyanide levels in the blood of the not-so-dearly departed.

And with each false alarm, the not-so-subtle panic continues, as Europe waits and wonders what happens next.

Such throats are trying, are they not?In case one catches cold; Ah, yes!

Consequently, while the direction of the what-not-how-now line is definitely fixed, their actual positions remain unestablished.

We should in this case expect not-white rather than white, and so much rather, that we would lay two to one upon it.

If T is a B in only six cases of every twelve, and a not-B in only one, what is it in the other five?

Her silk parasol, of the blue of a forget-me-not, rested against her knee, and at her breast was a cream-tinted rose.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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Nosy ParkerNOTA