no-go
adjective
not authorized or approved to proceed; canceled or aborted.
no-go
American
[noh-goh]
/ ˈnoʊˈgoʊ /
Or
no go
adjective
Informal.
-
not authorized or approved to proceed; canceled or aborted.
The Tuesday space launch is no-go.
-
not ready to go or proceed.
-
not functioning properly; inoperative.
The ticket machine was no-go.
-
(of an area) having restricted entry.
hazardous no-go zones.
noun
Informal.
no go
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of no-go
First recorded in 1865–70
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:
Bagged salad mixes and kits, which have been linked to previous outbreaks in the United States and Canada, were suddenly a no-go.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
Former DFB president Theo Zwanziger told Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper, external such a move would be "an absolute no-go", adding Red Bull "want to win power inside the sport".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The reason most people won’t spend early in retirement is a quiet fear of the no-go years, and that fear is legitimate.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
Still, the notice, which came with a map of a rectangular no-go area in the middle of the waterway, circulated widely between sailors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
Caputo was still pacing and coughing, giving us the evil eye and warning us that if we crossed into the no-go zone of the penthouse suite, he would have us removed from the apartment.
From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson
But when McArthur came before the nominating committee in March 2025 for her final promotion, the 50-year-old was told advancement was a no go.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Papers obtained by Panorama show Drax took timber from rare forests in Canada it had claimed were "no go areas".
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2024
“Or would he say, no, go ahead and spend $100 million to tell everybody how great I am?”
From Washington Post ● Feb. 3, 2023
Except when it’s little show and no go.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2022
Desdemona had asked Zoe, “Why you no go out with Tessie no more?”
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
