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

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

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

However, in commentary published at the end of last week, Snider and colleagues also note that the “impact of AI adoption on corporate earnings still appears narrow.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

He envisions going out on a high note.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

That is where, they note, GM builds some 400,000 vehicles a year that it imports into the US—some of its most affordable models, but ones with already-thin profit margins.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

The researchers note several important limitations to the findings.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

I take Rue’s hand and can’t help but note how cold it is.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

The study notes that 6.7 million people in the United States currently have Alzheimer's disease.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

“Designed as much for restoration as for entertaining, the grounds are a private sanctuary,” the listing notes.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

But in using what he could, Mr. Doherty notes, “he certainly earned more than a footnote in motion picture history by creating the first U.S.-made, feature-length anti-Nazi film.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Age gaps compound the imbalance, Nyathi notes, down to the most intimate negotiations.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

And a teacher from Myers Falls, which is the next town over, got ahold of one of my notes and made her whole class find out things about Canada.

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan

He also noted on Truth Social that South Korea had recently declined to join the US in the "denuclearisation" of Iran.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

That could see oil futures fall within a band between $65 a barrel and $80 a barrel, the analysts noted.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026

"In the collision, the baryon junction gets held behind, and the quarks continue on," he noted.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

Terekh noted down what times each day the Russians exchanged fire with Ukrainian troops, trying to find the best time to escape.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

It should be noted that Penelope’s fernibuster did not plunge all her audience into a stupor.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

"They haven't received aid yet because Nitung Village was isolated for nearly two days after the quake," he said, noting that efforts were underway to rush aid to the survivors.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

It’s worth noting that the IEA, like other agencies such as the U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026

Paris Match described Macron's vacation as "work-focused," noting that an office has been set up and that "the president spends his days on the phone."

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Brockman concluded the March 3 email by noting a birthday party being thrown for him that Saturday, saying Clark and Capocefalo would be there.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

I smiled, noting with approval that there were some cherries in her cheeks.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Related Words

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