no

[noh]

adverb

(a negative used to express dissent, denial, or refusal, as in response to a question or request)

(used to emphasize or introduce a negative statement): Not a single person came to the party, no, not a one.

not in any degree or manner; not at all (used with a comparative): He is no better.

not a (used before an adjective to convey the opposite of the adjective's meaning): His recovery was no small miracle.

adjective

not a (used before a noun to convey the opposite of the noun's meaning): She's no beginner on the ski slopes.

noun, plural noes, nos.

an utterance of the word “no.”

a denial or refusal: He responded with a definite no.

a negative vote or voter: The noes have it.

verb (used with object)

to reject, refuse approval, or express disapproval of.

verb (used without object)

to express disapproval.

RELATED WORDS

negative, nix, nay, never, not

Nearby words

Idioms

no can do, Informal. it can't be done.

Origin of no

before 900; Middle English; Old English nā, equivalent to ne not + ā ever (see ay¹)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for noing

No

Noh

noun plural No or Noh

the stylized classic drama of Japan, developed in the 15th century or earlier, using music, dancing, chanting, elaborate costumes, and themes from religious stories or myths

Word Origin for No

from Japanese nō talent, from Chinese neng

No

noun

Lake No a lake in South Sudan, where the Bahr el Jebel (White Nile) is joined by the Bahr el Ghazal. Area: about 103 sq km (40 sq miles)

No

the chemical symbol for

nobelium

no

sentence substitute

used to express denial, disagreement, refusal, disapproval, disbelief, or acknowledgment of negative statements

used with question intonation to query a previous negative statement, as in disbeliefAlfred isn't dead yet. No?

noun plural noes or nos

an answer or vote of no

(often plural) a person who votes in the negative

the noes have it there is a majority of votes in the negative

not take no for an answer to continue in a course of action despite refusals

Compare yes, aye 2

Word Origin for no

Old English nā, from ne not, no + ā ever; see ay 1

no

determiner

not any, not a, or not onethere's no money left; no card in the file

not by a long way; not at allshe's no youngster

(followed by comparative adjectives and adverbs) notno fewer than forty men; no more quickly than before

no go See go 1 (def. 74)

Word Origin for no

Old English nā, changed from nān none 1

no

the internet domain name for

Norway

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

Word Origin and History for noing

no

"negative reply," early 13c., from Old English na (adv.) "no, never, not at all," from ne "not, no" + a "ever." First element from Proto-Germanic *ne (cf. Old Norse, Old Frisian, Old High German ne, Gothic ni "not"), from PIE root *ne "no, not" (see un-). Second element from PIE *aiw- "vital force, life, long life, eternity" (see aye (2)).

As an adjective meaning "not any" (c.1200) it is reduced from Old English nan (see none), the final -n omitted first before consonants and then altogether. As a noun from c.1300. Phrase no can do "it is not possible" is attested from 1827, a locution of English-speaking Chinese noted 19c. in China, Australia and West Coast of U.S.

We repeated our advice again and again, but got no answer but a loud horse-laugh, and their national maxim of No can do: Europe fashion no do in China. ["Reminiscences of a Voyage to and from China," in "Paxton's Horticultural Register," London, 1836]

Construction no X, no Y attested from 1530s (in no peny no pardon). No problem as an interjection of assurance first attested 1963. No way as an expression meaning "it can't be done" is attested by 1968.

Medicine definitions for noing