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• don't-know
  don't-know

  noun

  a person who has no opinion or is undecided, as in answering an item on a public-opinion poll.
• don't know
  don't know

  noun

  a person who has not reached a definite opinion on a subject, esp as a response to a questionnaire

don't-know

American  

[dohnt-noh] / ˈdoʊntˈnoʊ /

noun

1. a person who has no opinion or is undecided, as in answering an item on a public-opinion poll.

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don't know British  

noun

1. a person who has not reached a definite opinion on a subject, esp as a response to a questionnaire

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Etymology

Origin of don't-know

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

don't know

Don’t let anyone convince you that we don’t know how to shrink America’s persistent academic achievement gap.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

“I don’t know a single Black girl who hasn’t had a profound connection to ‘Black Girl’s Window,’ ” curator and Saar’s biographer, Zoé Whitley, told The Times in a recent interview.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

We genuinely don’t know yet whether on balance AI will lead to more stability or volatility.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

“You don’t know what your siblings are,” Art said.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

But then I don’t know what would have come next because Mr. Andrews appears behind her in the doorway, knocking awkwardly, asking, “Is everybody decent in there?” even though it’s not “everybody,” it’s only me.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse