no
adverb
(a negative used to express dissent, denial, or refusal, as in response to a question or request).
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no
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No
NonounLake, a lake in the Sudd region of S central Sudan, formed by the floodwaters of the White Nile. About 40 sq. mi. (100 sq. km).
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Nō
Nōnounclassic drama of Japan, developed chiefly in the 14th century, employing verse, prose, choral song, and dance in highly conventionalized formal and thematic patterns derived from religious sources and folk myths.
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no.
no.abbreviationnorth.
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N/O
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No.
No.abbreviationnorth(ern)
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n.o.
n.o.abbreviationnot out
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no'
no'adverbnot
no
1 American
[noh]
/ noʊ /
adverb
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(a negative used to express dissent, denial, or refusal, as in response to a question or request).
“Have you done the dishes yet?” “No, not yet.”
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(used to emphasize or introduce a negative statement).
Not a single person came to the party, no, not a one.
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not in any degree or manner; not at all (used with a comparative).
He is no better.
interjection
adjective
noun
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noes,
plural
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nos
plural
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an utterance of the word “no.”
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a denial or refusal.
He responded with a definite no.
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a negative vote or voter.
The noes have it.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
idioms
no
2
American
[noh]
/ noʊ /
adjective
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not any.
no money.
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not at all; far from being.
He is no genius.
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very little; negligible.
We got her to the hospital in no time.
No
3
American
[noh]
/ noʊ /
noun
No
4
American
Symbol, Chemistry.
Nō
5
American
[noh]
/ noʊ /
Or
No,
noun
no.
6
American
Or
No.
abbreviation
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north.
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northern.
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number.
N/O
7
American
abbreviation
Banking.
no
1
British
/ nəʊ /
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used to express denial, disagreement, refusal, disapproval, disbelief, or acknowledgment of negative statements
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used with question intonation to query a previous negative statement, as in disbelief
Alfred isn't dead yet. No?
noun
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an answer or vote of no
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(often plural) a person who votes in the negative
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there is a majority of votes in the negative
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to continue in a course of action despite refusals
no
2
British
/ nəʊ /
determiner
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not any, not a, or not one
there's no money left
no card in the file
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not by a long way; not at all
she's no youngster
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(followed by comparative adjectives and adverbs) not
no fewer than forty men
no more quickly than before
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See go 1
No.
3
British
abbreviation
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north(ern)
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Also: no. number
No
4
British
/ nəʊ /
noun
No
5
British
/ nəʊ /
noun
No
6
British
symbol
no
7
British
abbreviation
n.o.
8
British
abbreviation
no'
9
British
/ no, nəʊ /
adverb
no
More Idioms
Usage
Plural word for no The plural form of no can be either nos or noes. The plurals of several other singular words that end in -o are also formed this way, as in mango/mangos/mangoes and mosquito/mosquitos/mosquitoes. In some instances, particularly in advertising and other public communications, the plural form of no is written with an apostrophe, as in no's. This is not considered standard, but it may be easier to understand in some contexts, because nos. (with a period at the end) is also used as an abbreviation for numbers and because many people are unfamiliar with the plural form of no. The word no is only pluralized when it is used as a noun rather than in its more common use as an adverb. The word no as a noun means "an answer or vote of no" or "a person who votes in the negative," as in The noes outnumbered the yeses.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of no1
First recorded before 900; Middle English no, na, Old English nā, from n(e) “not” + ā ay 1
Origin of no2
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English; variant of none 1
Origin of Nō5
1870–75; < Japanese, earlier noũ < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese néng ability
Explanation
No is the ultimate negative: it means "not any," or "not at all," and it's also used to express a generally negative response. If there's no milk for your cereal in the morning, there's not a drop left. A sign in a school hallway that says "No running" means that it's absolutely not allowed. And, the response, "No, thanks" when you offer your friend half of your liverwurst sandwich means that she is really not interested. You might vote no on a special ballot question about extending school to Saturdays or exclaim, "Oh no!" to express disappointment when your team loses a big game. No comes from the Old English negative, na.
Vocabulary lists containing no
Scrabble: Two-Letter Words
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 3
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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.
See Examples For:
Thompson’s “That’s So Raven” co-star Kyle Massey told TMZ on Monday that he loved his former co-star no matter what.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
However, no one appears to be expecting major breakthroughs, given the lack of confirmation for formal talks with Iran during the event.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
It was reported that no babies will be delivered at the Newry hospital if plans for a temporary suspension of services go ahead amid "significant" workforce pressures.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Now, the question is no longer simply whether the cryptocurrency has found a bottom, but whether its recent move can develop into a lasting bull market, she told MarketWatch in emailed commentary Monday.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
The winds whipped mercilessly through the tree branches, and lightning struck no less than three times, each time getting closer and closer to the shed.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
“We love you so much, bro. No matter what.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
No American president was more passionate about trade liberalization than Ronald Reagan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
No one—no reporter, operative, commentator, analyst, or person on the street—wants to look like an idiot by overhyping it again.
From Slate ● Sep. 21, 2026
When put to him that the statement sounded like a threat when it involved potentially damaging information, he said: "No, not at all a threat, it's just the reality."
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
“Wood sounds hollow. Hear it in a minute. No, no. Brick’s the only thing for false walls.”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
I have a rural note of one of my visits to the Nō.
From The Foundations of Japan Notes Made During Journeys Of 6,000 Miles In The Rural Districts As A Basis For A Sounder Knowledge Of The Japanese People by J.W. Robertson Scott
"One or two can be classed as a mistake, but this amount – no. It's ridiculous, especially where parents like me have had to see their children go through additional surgery."
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
"People are always trying to buy this place, but no. They'll have to drag me out of here feet-first," she said in her thick Cockney accent.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
And he was like, “No, no. We met 20 years ago.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
"I don't see any risk, no. I have an ICD, if anything would happen then I am safe," the Wolfsburg midfielder added.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
“Why, no. It would be a fine language to study, but I do not know any German at all. Do you?”
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
The research was supported by the National Science Foundation under award No. 2241605.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
The No. 8 Rebels had seen a 17-point halftime lead disappear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
No. 12 USC ultimately managed to escape Rutgers with a 42-35 win.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
And on Saturday night, Golding will coach in the nastiest game on the college football calendar when No. 8 Ole Miss takes on No. 7 LSU in Kiffin’s return to his old stomping grounds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
“Well. No. But he didn’t mean anything by it.”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
That was a “complete lie,” he told the press: “I have been a ‘heck no’ the whole time.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
And I was like, ‘No, no, no’ for like two straight weeks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2024
“I went ‘oh no’ and then I just went into shock, there’s no other way to say it,” she said.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 2, 2024
"I said 'no, no' and went into panic mode," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2023
“Well, if you’ll promise no’ to fash me with your foolish talk while I am busy, you may stay.”
From Frederica and her Guardians The Perils of Orphanhood by Margaret M. (Margaret Murray) Robertson
An August referendum on restarting the reactor, held just three months after it closed, failed to attract a quorum, though the yes votes outweighed the noes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2025
If there are more "yes" votes than "noes", the bill will progress to stage two, where MSPs can propose changes.
From BBC ● May 13, 2025
Kentridge brings it to America thirsting for even less good yeses and noes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2025
According to Drew Linzer, the director of the polling firm Civiqs, fewer people are unsure about the vaccines now than in the fall, but the percentage of hard noes has remained fairly constant.
From New York Times ● Apr. 29, 2021
My job was to stand there, shake hands, and throw out yeses and noes as needed.
From "The Rock and the River" by Kekla Magoon
As the beats of "nos óra dja txiga" played through the fan zone, supporters chanted along in excitement – some waving the national flag.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
This study was funded in part by the Richard Gilder Graduate School and the National Science Foundation, grant nos.
From Science Daily ● May 20, 2024
In an official roll call vote, Emmer received what Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman described as "a gigantic pool of nos."
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2023
“Over time, the nos got fewer and fewer.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2023
I tried to say the nos more softly.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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.
