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

Tim Ash, senior strategist at RBC Bluebay Asset Management, pointed out in a posting on X, that sovereigns do not request swap lines lightly.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

“It’s not this thing that can never make sense.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

“We’ve gotten used to waking up and not having electricity. And that is not normal.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

Still, Trainor did not manage to secure that full ask, with records indicating that the sale of the posh pad closed for $6.83 million on April 15.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

I glance at the family eating Indian tacos and then at the legendary grandparent behind the counter pretending not to watch us.

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