no-no

[ noh-noh ]
See synonyms for: no-nono-nos on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural no-nos, no-no's.Informal.
  1. anything that is forbidden or not advisable, as because of being improper or unsafe: If you want to lose weight, rich desserts are a no-no.

Origin of no-no

1
1940–45, Americanism; reduplication of no1

Words Nearby no-no

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use no-no in a sentence

  • That was another no-no -- phones are muy prohibido at Chavez High -- but why should that stop me?

    Little Brother | Cory Doctorow
  • I just said, ‘no-no-no-no,’ and ran out of the room, and out of the house up into the orchard.

    The Heart's Country | Mary Heaton Vorse
  • no-no, that won't do; you mustn't talk, and you mustn't retch and gag that way, either—you'll wake up your poor brother.

    Those Extraordinary Twins | Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
  • They're going to take no-no home, then we're all going to the movies.

    Ruggles of Red Gap | Harry Leon Wilson
  • no-no-no-no—not all—but the worst of them are good enough to admire him.

    Such Things Are | Mrs. Inchbald

British Dictionary definitions for Nono

Nono

/ (Italian ˈnɔːno) /


noun
  1. Luigi (luˈiːdʒi). 1924–90, Italian composer of 12-tone music

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