cannot

American  

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

verb

1. a form of can not.

---

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

---

cannot More Idioms  

1. see under can't.

---

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

Perfetti: I cannot go to Philadelphia because I suddenly now have 5 million new family members.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

Local fanaticism for this law and tradition cannot be overstated.

From Slate • May 26, 2026

Although the new theory cannot be directly tested in distant cosmic environments, earlier laboratory experiments appear to support the findings.

From Science Daily • May 26, 2026

County's promotion was their 14th in EFL history, one short of the all-time record jointly-held by Birmingham and Bolton, and Jones says there is no reason why they cannot be optimistic about the future.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

“Of that, I cannot say,” Llewelyn said, then returned to hanging out the window with Orion.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova