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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-

Seaver did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

It says it offers "safe and quality" treatments and told us "less than 1% of procedures have led to a complaint", although this does not include everyone who needed revision surgery.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

"Trump has made a decision that no matter what, we need to not have a confrontational relationship with China," Stephen Orlins, president at the National Committee on US-China Relations, said.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

"Back in my day, I could just put down the paper and not read it. Now it seems like it's harder for these youngsters to avoid."

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

All along, the sandy-haired man has been signaling he wants a duel—him versus Caesar—but not a fair duel.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Now, if you’ll excuse me, somebody in my house—not me—has to go check on the relationship status of Devo and Brittany because somebody in my house—again, NOT ME!—really hopes they get back together.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

“I can’t watch that back. I was NOT good.”

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 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

Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffith reported that U.S. officials said “this is NOT a restarting of the war.”

From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026

Her hair was NOT going to show in the store.

From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston

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

He raised the conch for a moment "Very well then. I suppose what's what is whether there are ghosts or not-" He thought for a moment, formulating the question.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding