cannot
[kan-ot, ka-not, kuh-]
- a form of ·can not.
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- cannot but, have no alternative but to: We cannot but choose otherwise.
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Origin of cannot
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400
Usage note
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. See also can1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
cannot
- an auxiliary verb expressing incapacity, inability, withholding permission, etc; can not
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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
Word Origin and History for cannot
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with cannot
cannot
see under can't.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.