cannot

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

verb

1. a form of can not.

cannot

/ kæˈnɒt, ˈkænɒt /

verb

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

Spelling 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cannot¹

A Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. cannot but, have no alternative but to.

   We cannot but choose otherwise.

see under can't.

Example Sentences

"You cannot have foreign-imposed reconstruction plans while you don't have any vision about your own country."

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Party committees and bureaucracies can limit AI, but they cannot create meaningful value.

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They cannot afford to start like that against Arsenal, who have superior players and are such a threat from set-pieces too.

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The judge said the consequence of the administration’s actions was “harm to families, elderly, children and others that cannot be undone.”

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She has said that Ireland “certainly cannot trust” the U.S. and has criticized the U.K. and France for their links to the so-called global military industrial complex.

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