cannot

[ kan-ot, ka-not, kuh- ]

/ ˈkæn ɒt, kæˈnɒt, kə- /

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verb

a form of can not.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about cannot

cannot but, have no alternative but to: We cannot but choose otherwise.

Origin of cannot

A Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

usage note for cannot

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.

Words nearby cannot

cannonball tree, cannon bone, cannoneer, cannon fodder, cannonry, cannot, cannula, cannular, cannulate, canny, Canoas

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cannot in a sentence

It is merely one more variant of the "fate-cannot-harm-me-I-have-dined-to-day" wheeze.
A Camera Actress in the Wilds of Togoland|Meg Gehrts
He could not yet tell whether the "might-have-been" had passed into the "cannot-be."
Scarlet and Hyssop|E. F. Benson
No, you cannot.-I have heard so much good spoken of you for many years.
Three Comedies|Bjrnstjerne M. Bjrnson
It is doing the What-you-can that will best help you to do the What-you-cannot.
The Note-Books of Samuel Butler|Samuel Butler

Unfortunately we cannot make any advance-cannot gain anything anywhere without a corresponding loss somewhere.
The Land's End|W. H. Hudson

British Dictionary definitions for cannot

cannot

/ (ˈkænɒt, kæˈnɒt) /

verb

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

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with cannot

cannot

see under can't.