no
adverb
(a negative used to express dissent, denial, or refusal, as in response to a question or request).
Jump To:
-
no
-
No
NonounLake, a lake in the Sudd region of S central Sudan, formed by the floodwaters of the White Nile. About 40 sq. mi. (100 sq. km).
-
Nō
Nōnounclassic drama of Japan, developed chiefly in the 14th century, employing verse, prose, choral song, and dance in highly conventionalized formal and thematic patterns derived from religious sources and folk myths.
-
no.
no.abbreviationnorth.
-
N/O
-
No.
No.abbreviationnorth(ern)
-
n.o.
n.o.abbreviationnot out
-
no'
no'adverbnot
no
1 American
[noh]
/ noʊ /
adverb
-
(a negative used to express dissent, denial, or refusal, as in response to a question or request).
“Have you done the dishes yet?” “No, not yet.”
-
(used to emphasize or introduce a negative statement).
Not a single person came to the party, no, not a one.
-
not in any degree or manner; not at all (used with a comparative).
He is no better.
interjection
adjective
noun
-
noes,
plural
-
nos
plural
-
an utterance of the word “no.”
-
a denial or refusal.
He responded with a definite no.
-
a negative vote or voter.
The noes have it.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
idioms
no
2
American
[noh]
/ noʊ /
adjective
-
not any.
no money.
-
not at all; far from being.
He is no genius.
-
very little; negligible.
We got her to the hospital in no time.
No
3
American
[noh]
/ noʊ /
noun
No
4
American
Symbol, Chemistry.
Nō
5
American
[noh]
/ noʊ /
Or
No,
noun
no.
6
American
Or
No.
abbreviation
-
north.
-
northern.
-
number.
N/O
7
American
abbreviation
Banking.
no
1
British
/ nəʊ /
-
used to express denial, disagreement, refusal, disapproval, disbelief, or acknowledgment of negative statements
-
used with question intonation to query a previous negative statement, as in disbelief
Alfred isn't dead yet. No?
noun
-
an answer or vote of no
-
(often plural) a person who votes in the negative
-
there is a majority of votes in the negative
-
to continue in a course of action despite refusals
no
2
British
/ nəʊ /
determiner
-
not any, not a, or not one
there's no money left
no card in the file
-
not by a long way; not at all
she's no youngster
-
(followed by comparative adjectives and adverbs) not
no fewer than forty men
no more quickly than before
-
See go 1
No.
3
British
abbreviation
-
north(ern)
-
Also: no. number
No
4
British
/ nəʊ /
noun
No
5
British
/ nəʊ /
noun
No
6
British
symbol
no
7
British
abbreviation
n.o.
8
British
abbreviation
no'
9
British
/ no, nəʊ /
adverb
no
More Idioms
Usage
Plural word for no The plural form of no can be either nos or noes. The plurals of several other singular words that end in -o are also formed this way, as in mango/mangos/mangoes and mosquito/mosquitos/mosquitoes. In some instances, particularly in advertising and other public communications, the plural form of no is written with an apostrophe, as in no's. This is not considered standard, but it may be easier to understand in some contexts, because nos. (with a period at the end) is also used as an abbreviation for numbers and because many people are unfamiliar with the plural form of no. The word no is only pluralized when it is used as a noun rather than in its more common use as an adverb. The word no as a noun means "an answer or vote of no" or "a person who votes in the negative," as in The noes outnumbered the yeses.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of no1
First recorded before 900; Middle English no, na, Old English nā, from n(e) “not” + ā ay 1
Origin of no2
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English; variant of none 1
Origin of Nō5
1870–75; < Japanese, earlier noũ < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese néng ability
Explanation
No is the ultimate negative: it means "not any," or "not at all," and it's also used to express a generally negative response. If there's no milk for your cereal in the morning, there's not a drop left. A sign in a school hallway that says "No running" means that it's absolutely not allowed. And, the response, "No, thanks" when you offer your friend half of your liverwurst sandwich means that she is really not interested. You might vote no on a special ballot question about extending school to Saturdays or exclaim, "Oh no!" to express disappointment when your team loses a big game. No comes from the Old English negative, na.
Vocabulary lists containing no
Scrabble: Two-Letter Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Spelling Practice 1, Unit 3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Betaneli said no other “ETS customers” were affected.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
And without a driver, no honking in annoyance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
The company said the gas generation was "not the data centre's permanent power supply, and once the grid connection is live it would no longer be needed".
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
"They were very discreet, the apartment was always quiet, as if no one lived there. They would come and go very quickly," added a neighbor.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Father is shouting, but for me, his mouth makes no sound.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
A No 10 spokeswoman said Helm was "an individual who does not represent the government in any capacity".
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
He set just one condition of his own: No money, he said, was to change hands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
No, they don’t look at all alike, but their sibling dynamic feels fresh and alive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
No doubt the surge in generative artificial intelligence use is what tipped the scales, but of course, not all bots are created equal.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026
No humans had trespassed into his forest, forcing him to cower or sneak.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
I have a rural note of one of my visits to the Nō.
From The Foundations of Japan Notes Made During Journeys Of 6,000 Miles In The Rural Districts As A Basis For A Sounder Knowledge Of The Japanese People by J.W. Robertson Scott
“Too many bad things have happened. The Earth is in bad shape. This is a weird, scary time, so no. Not anymore.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
"I've been told no. I don't know what to do with myself."
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
"People are always trying to buy this place, but no. They'll have to drag me out of here feet-first," she said in her thick Cockney accent.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
“That’s not a yes or a no. I’m just going to see what happens.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
“Maybe just give them water and put a warm washcloth on their forehead? But if it’s bad, then call the parents. Or me again. Actually, no. Don’t call me.”
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
No. In fact, I had a cut of the film in the spring of 2024 that was under two hours.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
In one video, pupils outside School No. 69 in Balakhany, outside Baku, hold a banner reading: "The hijab does not prevent anyone from getting an education."
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
An action-packed supernatural thriller: Netflix’s new No. 1 show, Below, stars Josh Hartnett as a brooding Newfoundlander haunted by something supernatural lurking in the ocean’s depths.
From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026
Famously, his big break came when Roseanne Barr decided to fire all the writers on “Roseanne,” then the No. 1 show in the country; Lorre was hired as one of the replacements.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
No. I just have tears pouring down my cheeks.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
That was a “complete lie,” he told the press: “I have been a ‘heck no’ the whole time.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
“And that was kind of like, ‘Oh, no’ and ‘Oh, yeah’ at the same time.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2025
“I felt we didn’t get enough time to think about it and read up on it. So I felt, to be on the safe side, ‘no, no’ — no change.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 9, 2024
“I don’t do ‘yes or no’ on ‘will I pause interest rate hikes,’” Mr. Powell replied.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 8, 2023
"Jacinta will no' be pleased with ye, I'm thinking."
From For Jacinta by Harold Bindloss
An August referendum on restarting the reactor, held just three months after it closed, failed to attract a quorum, though the yes votes outweighed the noes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2025
If there are more "yes" votes than "noes", the bill will progress to stage two, where MSPs can propose changes.
From BBC ● May 13, 2025
A chorus of noes echoed through the Boyle Heights storefront offices of Women’s March Action.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2022
I won’t say that we will never target those people that are hard noes.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2021
My job was to stand there, shake hands, and throw out yeses and noes as needed.
From "The Rock and the River" by Kekla Magoon
As the beats of "nos óra dja txiga" played through the fan zone, supporters chanted along in excitement – some waving the national flag.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
Marks owns stock in RyCarma Therapeutics Inc., which is developing compounds that target the ryanodine receptor, and is a coinventor on U.S. patent nos.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 14, 2026
You are at the whim of yeses and nos.
From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2024
“Over time, the nos got fewer and fewer.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2023
Hesitations're yeses or nos if the questioner already knows the answer.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
