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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-

Cuba is running short of fuel, but not sunshine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

“We did not see or hear of any dispute at all,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

"We will not smash the locker room now and celebrate a lot," he said after the 2-1 win.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Two people who were not identified died at the scene.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

It has become difficult—if not impossible—to hide her illness.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

“ICE is NOT slowing down,” said Homeland Security spokesperson Lauren Bis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

Trump said he had informed the US military "that we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow."

From Barron's ● May 18, 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

In response to questions, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Lauren Bis said in a statement that Immigration and Customs Enforcement “does NOT deport United States citizens or separate families,”

From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2026

“Woman,” he said, “you seem to forget this whole business was to get Olive off our—to get Olive married. NOT CAMILLA!”

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

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

Livermore defended its flop as the not- unexpected product of vigorous innovation, on the theory that one can often learn more from mistakes than from easy successes.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik