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

"Medical jargon can be tricky, especially with abbreviations that differ across specialties. This is an even more difficult task when we refer to realistic hospital situations in which the room is not acoustically prepared."

From Science Daily

But when it came to areas with higher-than-average Hispanic populations, facilities still saw a decline in positive ratings, though the dips were not as pronounced.

From Science Daily

"There are not that many metal-poor locations in the nearby universe and before JWST, it was difficult to find them," said Tucker.

From Science Daily

And, as such, the volume loss should not be a cause for concern.

From Science Daily

"This is something that will not disappear over time. As long as the patients cannot be isolated and treated properly, the spread of infection will continue."

From Science Daily