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

"It's not about a blame game. It's important to keep balance here."

From BBC

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008 - but Serbia does not recognise this.

From BBC

On Tuesday, a Supreme Court judge said in a statement that Thaksin "knew or could perceive that he was not in a critical or emergency condition".

From BBC

The White House said the president "did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it."

From BBC

Authorities did not address reporters' questions on Tuesday about whether the children's mother, known in news reports only as Cat, and members of Phillips' extended family are in touch with the children.

From BBC