note

American  

[noht] / noʊt /

noun

• notes
  plural

1. 

   a brief record of something written down to assist the memory or for future reference.

   Synonyms:

   minute, memorandum

2. notes, a record or outline of a speech, statement, testimony, etc., or of one's impressions of something.

3. an explanatory or critical comment, or a reference to some authority quoted, appended to a passage in a book or the like.

   a note on the origin of the phrase.

   Synonyms:

   annotation, commentary

4. a brief written or printed statement giving particulars or information.

5. Library Science. additional information about a work, such as its special series or some other significant identification, included on the library catalog entry.

6. a short, informal letter.

   a thank-you note.

7. a formal diplomatic or official communication in writing.

   a note delivered by the ambassador.

8. a paper acknowledging a debt and promising payment; promissory note.

9. a certificate, as of a government or a bank, accepted as money.

   Synonyms:

   bill

10. eminence, distinction, or reputation.

    a man of note.

    Synonyms:

    name, renown, fame, celebrity, repute

11. importance or consequence.

    few events of particular note.

12. notice, observation, or heed.

    to take note of warning signs; to be worthy of note.

13. a characteristic or distinguishing feature.

    a note of whimsy in the design of the house.

14. a mark, quality, or indication of something, especially as a submerged but ubiquitous element.

    There was just a note of bitterness in his films.

15. a characteristic way of speaking or thinking.

    His critics had begun to change their note.

16. a signal, announcement, or intimation.

    a note of warning in her voice.

17. Music.

    1. a sign or character used to represent a tone, its position and form indicating the pitch and duration of the tone.

    2. a key, as of a piano.

18. a tone sounded on a musical instrument.

19. a musical sound or tone.

20. a melody, tune, or song.

21. a sound of musical quality, as one uttered by a bird.

    attentive to the thrush's note.

22. any call, cry, or sound of a bird, fowl, etc.

23. a new or unexpected element in a situation.

24. a mark or sign, as of punctuation, used in writing or printing.

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verb (used with object)

• notes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• noted,
  past participle,  past
• noting
  present participle

1. to write or mark down briefly; make a memorandum of.

   to note the places of interest.

   Synonyms:

   record, register

2. to make particular mention of in a writing.

   She noted their extra efforts in her report.

3. to annotate.

4. to observe carefully; give attention or heed to.

   Note the fine brushwork in this painting.

5. to take notice of; perceive.

   We noted his concern at the announcement.

   Synonyms:

   remark, spot, see

6. to set down in or furnish with musical notes.

7. to indicate or designate; signify; denote.

   Synonyms:

   mention

idioms

1. compare notes, to exchange views, ideas, or impressions.

   The returning tourists were sitting on the sun deck comparing notes.

note British  

/ nəʊt /

noun

1. a brief summary or record in writing, esp a jotting for future reference

2. a brief letter, usually of an informal nature

3. a formal written communication, esp from one government to another

4. a short written statement giving any kind of information

5. a critical comment, explanatory statement, or reference in the text of a book, often preceded by a number

6. short for banknote

7. a characteristic element or atmosphere

   a note of sarcasm

8. a distinctive vocal sound, as of a species of bird or animal

   the note of the nightingale

9. any of a series of graphic signs representing a musical sound whose pitch is indicated by position on the stave and whose duration is indicated by the sign's shape

10. Also called (esp US and Canadian): tone. a musical sound of definite fundamental frequency or pitch

11. a key on a piano, organ, etc

12. a sound, as from a musical instrument, used as a signal or warning

    the note to retreat was sounded

13. short for promissory note

14. archaic a tune or melody

15. 1. distinguished or famous

       an athlete of note

    2. worth noticing or paying attention to; important

       nothing of note

16. to behave appropriately

17. to behave inappropriately

18. (often foll by of) to observe carefully; pay close attention (to)

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verb

1. to notice; perceive

   he noted that there was a man in the shadows

2. to pay close attention to; observe

   they noted every movement

3. to make a written note or memorandum of

   she noted the date in her diary

4. to make particular mention of; remark upon

   I note that you do not wear shoes

5. to write down (music, a melody, etc) in notes

6. to take (an unpaid or dishonoured bill of exchange) to a notary public to re-present the bill and if it is still unaccepted or unpaid to note the circumstances in a register See protest

7. a less common word for annotate

note More Idioms  

1. see bread and butter letter (note); compare notes; make a note of; of note; strike the right note; take note; take notes.

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Synonym Usage

See remark.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noter
  noun
• prenote
  noun
• subnote
  noun
• undernote
  noun
• noteless
  adjective
• unnoting
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• notes
  plural

Participles

• noting
  present
• noted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• note
  simple
• notes
  simple
• have noted
  perfect
• has noted
  perfect
• am noting
  progressive
• are noting
  progressive
• is noting
  progressive
• have been noting
  perfect progressive
• has been noting
  perfect progressive

Past

• noted
  simple
• had noted
  perfect
• was noting
  progressive
• were noting
  progressive
• had been noting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will note
  simple
• will have noted
  perfect
• will be noting
  progressive
• will have been noting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of note

First recorded in 1175–1225; (for the noun) Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin nota “sign for musical tone,” in Latin: “mark, sign, lettering”; verb derivative of the noun

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Explanation

A note is a very short piece of writing. You might write a note to your sister on the back of your grocery list, or jot down a quick note reminding yourself to call your grandmother later. You might slip a love note under a door, or leave your cat sitter a note explaining how much to feed Fluffy. Other notes are taken during lectures or written in notebooks by journalists during interviews. You can also make a mental note, paying particular attention to something in the hopes that you'll remember it later. The Old French noter, "indicate or write down," comes from the Latin root notare, "to mark or note," from nota, "mark."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

note notes noted noting

The letter arrived with a thumb drive purporting to contain the list of voters in question, and a handwritten note providing the password.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell 0.146 percentage point to 5.097% as investors sought safety in government bonds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Dan Kirsch is a well-respected technical analyst for Jefferies, whose daily note on technical analysis has a wide following.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The Kings note the episode is interested in interrogating the cult of the tech mogul, specifically examining how figures operate outside of traditional ethics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

I made a mental note to tell him that if we survived this.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

The paper says the "near-misses" took place just days apart, and the mystery objects were spotted at 17,000ft - which it notes is more than 40 times the legal height limit for commercial drones.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

The awards, worth 381.8 million ringgit for CelcomDigi and 203 million ringgit for Maxis, give both operators direct ownership of spectrum previously accessed through partners, he notes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

“When I started doing standup, the direction and the notes were always like: ‘Release any character you have in mind and just access yourself,’” she says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

The selloff has led investors to seek safety in areas such as Treasury notes and bonds.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

On the stage, a speaker plays the last of the notes that lead you here.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

She noted that tourists and security footage showed the dog had not wandered beyond a roughly two-mile stretch of the Canyon Village area.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

She described Blair's physical achievements since her MS diagnosis as "nothing short of a miracle" and noted that she still lives with pain daily.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Neighbors noted the family of two was reserved and unsociable, but that their behavior was never alarming.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

The story noted that the company flagged the potential for AI to display unpredictable and malicious behaviors as “risk factors.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Anya looked up at the field of onions behind the serpent and noted the brightening sunshine.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

“It’s not a place of extremists but people were really inflamed,” Sosnoff says, noting that some people were reluctant to speak on camera.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Men and women get treatments at the same cadence, she added, noting that the median rate is every four months.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

At Eugene Henaff, one-third of meals served fall into the lowest-income bracket, with families paying 20 or 50 cents and the Ile-de-France region covering the rest, the region said, noting that no subsidies were pending.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Lutz explained that the move came from a desire to stay close to family, noting that the parents of his wife Brittany Lutz made the move first.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

I was noting these things and enjoying them as a child might, when it entered my mind as it had never done before:—

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

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Related Words

• indicate
• mention
• notice
• remark
• see
• view
• write

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