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

That could be a warning for stocks, but it also may not matter because investors have become accustomed to this type of environment, analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

“It is clear that it is not going to be easy to get energy markets back to pre-war operations once the strait is fully open,” the analysts add.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

The Dodgers could not provide Emmet Sheehan enough run support and the team collected a rare 4-3 loss to the Rockies Saturday in Colorado.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

I have heard lots of criticism of Arsenal recently - how they have bottled it in games or are falling away again when it matters - but that was certainly not the case here.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

She’s always wanted to try frybread, but opportunities have not been forthcoming, despite her knowing for years that she’s Chickasaw.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith