not

¹

[not]

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!

NOT

²

[not]

noun

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

not-

³

1. variant of noto- before a vowel.

not

¹

/ 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

1. used to indicate denial, negation, or refusal

   certainly not

not-

²

combining form

1. a variant of noto-

Word History and Origins

Origin of not¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of not¹

C14 not, variant of nought nothing, from Old English nāwiht, from nā no + wiht creature, thing. See _naught , _nought

Idioms and Phrases

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.

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

Example Sentences

The good news is that the main sector in which prices are rising more than falling may not be the best for finding holiday gifts.

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Retailers offer discounts not just on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but for days and sometimes even weeks before.

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Alexander Laskin, a public relations professor at Quinnipiac University, didn’t directly offer a view of whether Nvidia’s strategy was smart or not, but noted that it’s important to understand the role of investor relations.

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“It’s a coin flip whether the Fed cuts interest rates in December or not,” said Ryan Sweet, chief economist at Oxford Economics.

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In the title role, here not a Greek king but a politician seeking election, Mr. Strong was so forceful you could practically hear the stage groaning with each step he took.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal