hadn't

American

[had-nt] / ˈhæd nt /

contraction of had not.

hadn't British

/ ˈhædənt /

contraction

had not

"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

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.

Historically, five Fed chairs continued serving when successors hadn’t been confirmed, but a 1978 legal dispute arose over presidential authority.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

"The first year we got here in the Conference League, a lot of us hadn't played in Europe so when we got to the latter stages there was a lot of pressure," Watkins said.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whom he called his “work mom,” hadn’t endorsed Swalwell but had been a longtime mentor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

About a month after Sheridan was arrested, prosecutors moved to dismiss the case after a bystander video surfaced showing clearly that Sheridan hadn’t assaulted Bovino.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026

For Pete’s sake, Miss Myrt hadn’t cooled before they’d cooked up a scheme.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

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