cannot

American  

[kan-ot, ka-not, kuh-] / ˈkæn ɒt, kæˈnɒt, kə- /

verb

1. a form of can not.

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idioms

1. cannot but, have no alternative but to.

   We cannot but choose otherwise.

cannot British  

/ kæˈnɒt, ˈkænɒt /

verb

1. an auxiliary verb expressing incapacity, inability, withholding permission, etc; can not

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cannot More Idioms  

1. see under can't.

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Spelling

Cannot is sometimes also spelled can not. The one-word spelling is by far the more common: Interest rates simply cannot continue at their present level. The contraction can't is most common in speech and informal writing.

Etymology

Origin of cannot

A Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Compare meaning

How does cannot compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• can't vs. cannot

Example Sentences

Campbell replied that she did not remember and "cannot explain" why that was in her statement.

From BBC

It may, at least, offer the FA some protection from covetous advances being made in Tuchel's direction from elite clubs, something which cannot be discounted should England's World Cup be a success.

From BBC

“If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be,” he wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal

A new scientific analysis suggests that known non biological processes cannot fully explain the amount of organic material discovered in a rock collected on Mars by NASA's Curiosity rover.

From Science Daily

Without these helper genes, neural stem cells cannot effectively renew themselves.

From Science Daily