dunno
Americancontraction
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.
“I used to fight with people. I’d ask someone the time and they’d go ‘I dunno.’
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 18, 2024
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
She said she could go on for “I dunno, six months, a year maybe,” but “I know that as time passed, I would have less and less energy to give to the job.”
From Washington Post • Feb. 15, 2023
“I dunno, I could’ve done it, but I didn’t. Like I said, things are gonna be different for me now. I’m lookin’ for a change in Jackson.”
From "Mississippi Trial, 1955" by Chris Crowe
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
