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

      I will not stand for it

   2. ( in combination )

      they cannot go

2. 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

sentence substitute

1. used to indicate denial, negation, or refusal

   certainly not

not-

²

combining_form

1. a variant of noto-

Word History and Origins

Origin of not¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English; weak variant of nought

Word History and Origins

Origin of not¹

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

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

Example Sentences

The Marine Mammal Commission notes that this is not a particularly unusual occurrence, nor is the number of whale deaths in this period higher than average.

From Science Daily

While one survey ship likely has little effect, Stocker highlights that 11 different surveys were operating in the region from December 2022 to March 2023, and that the cumulative impact of these surveys has not been properly evaluated.

From Science Daily

While not the original aim of the study, the scientists did additional analysis that found the increased prevalence of maternal health issues and birth complications is not simply because the people getting pregnant are older.

From Science Daily

This figure is more challenging to interpret because graduation rates have soared across the nation even as other indicators of academic achievement have not kept pace.

From Los Angeles Times

“We should not celebrate improvements of a single percentage point — or less — because they don’t tell the real story: that yet another year has gone by for Californian students of color and multilingual learners, and not enough has changed.”

From Los Angeles Times