dunno

American

[duh-noh] / dəˈnoʊ /

Informal.

don't know.

Who did it? I dunno!

dunno British

/ də-, dʊ-, dʌˈnəʊ /

contraction

(I) do not know

"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

Etymology

Origin of dunno

First recorded in 1835–45; a phonetic spelling representing the pronunciation of don't know in continuous rapid speech

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

We had thought about playing off of the first one, like “Sweet and Juicy” going to like, I dunno, “Umami” or “Delicious” or some other thing that’s like food-related.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

The rest of the world either didn’t participate or spent its social currency on Facebook or Instagram or, I dunno, kickball for grown-ups.

From Slate • Oct. 30, 2023

“Ah dunno, ’cept yuh never mentioned it befo’, ” Georgia replies.

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2023

I dunno if I'm prepared to call it great yet, but it's good, and it's made with clear passion on the part of the cast and crew.

From Salon • Nov. 20, 2021

“I dunno, but this lady, she...Come on. Wake up!”

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023