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• not
  not

  adverb

  (used to express negation, denial, refusal, or prohibition).
• NOT
  NOT

  noun

  a Boolean operator that returns a positive result if its operand is negative and a negative result if its operand is positive.
• not-
  not-

  variant of noto- before a vowel.

not

¹ American  

[not] / nɒt /

adverb

1. (used to express negation, denial, refusal, or prohibition).

   You must not do that. It's not far from here.

2. U.S. Slang. (used jocularly as a postpositive interjection to indicate that a previous statement is untrue).

   I just love working overtime without pay. Not!

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idioms

1. not so much, (an expression of dismissive scorn, ambivalence, or skepticism).

   Attractive? Yes. Smart? Not so much.

   Is the world coming to an end? Yeah, not so much.

NOT ² American  

[not] / nɒt /

noun

1. a Boolean operator that returns a positive result if its operand is negative and a negative result if its operand is positive.

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not- ³ American  

1. variant of noto- before a vowel.

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not ¹ British  

/ nɒt /

adverb

1. 1. used to negate the sentence, phrase, or word that it modifies

      I will not stand for it

   2. ( in combination )

      they cannot go

2. Also (archaic): not but what. (conjunction) which is not to say or suppose that

   I expect to lose the game — not that I mind

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1. used to indicate denial, negation, or refusal

   certainly not

not- ² British  

combining form

1. a variant of noto-

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not More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing not

• (not a) Chinaman's chance
• (not to) sneeze at
• (not) all there
• (not) at all
• (not) in the least
• (not) in the mood
• (not) move a muscle
• (not) take no for an answer
• (not) the half of it
• (not) turn a hair
• all that glitters is not gold
• believe it or not
• can't
• caught dead, not be
• coming or going, not know if
• couldn't
• do as I say (not as I do)
• game is not worth the candle
• heart (not) in it
• hold one's breath, not
• it's (not) your funeral
• last but not least
• like as not
• living soul, not a
• mince matters, not to
• more often than not
• no problem (not to worry)
• two wrongs do not make a right
• waste not, want not
• whether or not
• without a (not a) leg to stand on
• won't (will not) hear of
• wouldn't

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Etymology

Origin of not

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English; weak variant of nought

Explanation

The adverb not is used for negation. Do you like drinking cod liver oil? No, I do not like drinking cod liver oil. Not is a powerful word. When Hamlet says "to be or not to be," he is questioning whether he should live or die, the inverse of living. Just be careful of what's called a "double negative," where you use not with another negating word and end up negating your negation. If you say you don't know nothing about something, that means you do know something. Not is often contracted as in don't, or isn't.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

not NOT not-

“Just trying not to flip the barrel so soon,” Bates said of what Ohtani has focused on mechanically.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

Then, on Aug. 17, she and her husband set off on the first leg of what would become a much longer journey to safety, aware that not everyone made the trip safely.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

Another one did not result in above-average rain, but did cause record coastal erosion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

She said the impact it had on her life was awful, with depressions that felt like "sinking into a dark hole", leaving her stuck in bed and not able to face the day.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Wes says, “He tends to avoid eye contact. He’s not trying to be rude—it’s just something he does.”

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Florida Senator Rick Scott encouraged residents in designated areas to evacuate as soon as possible, as he warned in a social media post: "DO NOT WAIT! Get out NOW!"

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

“Oh, I laugh. Some of them are genuinely hilarious—if it is NOT our robot,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

“ICE is NOT slowing down,” said Homeland Security spokesperson Lauren Bis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

On its website, Westfield Mall of the Netherlands announced "that the introduction of Swatch in collaboration with Audemars Piguet will NOT go ahead. The store will remain closed this weekend".

From Barron's ● May 16, 2026

“It looks like this race is NOT over yet!” the announcer narrated over the loudspeaker.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

We are lucky he cares about the fans despite his own not- so- pleasant long and winding road to 75 and beyond.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2019

Instead, around 30 designers of fashionable modest wear- some Muslim and others not- from nearly two dozen countries showcased their long-sleeved and floor-length pieces on large screens.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 29, 2018

"I assumed that it didn't matter who won - it is still a big party. But I guess it's not- I guess there's more politics involved," he said.

From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2016

Of course not- especially at an elementary school level!

From New York Times ● May 4, 2012

Livermore defended its flop as the not- unexpected product of vigorous innovation, on the theory that one can often learn more from mistakes than from easy successes.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik