not

From Middle English not, nat, variant of noght, naht (“not, nothing”), from Old English *nōht, nāht (“nought, nothing”), short for nōwiht, nāwiht (“nothing”, literally “not anything”), corresponding to ne (“not”) + ōwiht, āwiht (“anything”), corresponding to ā (“ever, always”) + wiht (“thing, creature”).

Cognate with Scots nat, naucht (“not”), Saterland Frisian nit (“not”), West Frisian net (“not”), Dutch niet (“not”), German nicht (“not”). Compare nought, naught and aught. More at no, wight, whit.

Alternatively, from Middle English ne (“not”) or none + oughte (“ought, should”), with the latter reinforcing the former.

• (UK)
  • IPA^(key): /nɒt/, [nɔt], [nɒt], [nɒʔ(t)]

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

  • Audio (London, UK)

    (file)

• (US)
  • IPA^(key): /nɑt/, [nɑ̈ʔt̚]

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• (Ireland)
  • IPA^(key): [nɞʔt]
• (General Australian)
  • IPA^(key): /nɔt/
• Homophone: knot
• Homophone: naught, nought (cot–caught merger)
• Rhymes: -ɒt

not (not comparable)

1. Negates the meaning of the modified verb.
   • 1973 November 17, Richard Milhous Nixon, Orlando press conference:

     People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook. I've earned everything I've got.

   • 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, London: Heinemann, →OCLC, page 59:

     The sound of Abba singing 'Dancing Queen' had started up in a room the other side of the court. Adrian slammed the window shut.
     ‘That'll teach you to throw things out of the window,’ said Gary.
     ‘It'll teach me not to throw things out of the window.’

   • 1998 January 26, William Jefferson Clinton, White House press conference:

     I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I'm going to say this again: I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.

   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     Oh, Pete. This is not the gym. — That’s right, Anna. This is the mailroom.

     Audio (US)

     (file)

   Did you take out the trash? No, I did not.

   Not knowing any better, I went ahead.

2. To no degree.

   That is not red; it's green.

   It's not you, it's me.

3. (litotes) Used to indicate the opposite or near opposite, often in a form of understatement.

   That day was not the best day of my life. (meaning the day was bad or awful)

   It was not my favorite movie of all time. (meaning the speaker dislikes or strongly dislikes the movie)

   In the not too distant future my view on the matter might be not a million miles away from yours.

4. (informal) Used before a determiner phrase or a non-finite clause (especially a gerund-participial clause) to convey some attitude (such as surprise, criticism, or embarrassment) towards someone or something. [attested since the late 2000s, popularized around 2020][1]
   • 2023 December 9, “Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson: A Complete Relationship Timeline”, in Glamour‎:

     [Keke] Palmer tells Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager to “mind y'all's business” when they ask about her relationship with [Darius] Jackson. ¶ “Not y’all trying to get into it! They trying it on the Today show,” Palmer joked when the subject was first brought up on Today With Hoda & Jenna.

In modern usage, do-support requires that the form do not ... (or don’t ...) be preferred to ... not for all but a short list of verbs (be, have, can, shall, will, would, may, must, need, ought):

• They do not sow. (modern) vs. They sow not. (KJB)

American usage tends to prefer don’t have or haven’t got to have not or haven’t, except when have is used as an auxiliary (or in the idiom have-not):

• I don’t have a clue or I haven’t got a clue. (US)
• I haven’t a clue or I haven’t got a clue. (outside US)
• I haven’t been to Spain. (universal)

The verb need is only directly negated when used as an auxiliary; this usage is rare in the US but common elsewhere.

• You don’t need to trouble yourself. (common in US)
• You needn’t trouble yourself. (common outside US)
• I don’t need any eggs today. (universal)

The verb dare can sometimes be directly negated.

• I daren't do that.

The verb do, as a main verb, takes do not.

• He does not do that.

In the imperative, all verbs, including be, take do not.

• Don't do that.
• Don't be silly. (not *Be not silly.)

In the infinitive, verbs must be negated directly. In this case not cannot appear after the verb; some authorities recommend placing it before to to avoid a split infinitive, but for most speakers the forms not to do and to not do are more or less interchangeable, with the latter being mostly informal.

• The objective is not to lose or The objective is to not lose.
• I wanted not to go or I wanted to not go. (Note the difference between this and I didn't want to go, where want is the verb being negated.)

In the subjunctive mood, do-support is not used for negation; not is placed by itself, or with should, immediately before the verb it modifies, even be:

• They suggested that he (should) not do it.
• The law requires that it (should) not be done.

• could not get elected dogcatcher
• not again
• not to put too fine a point on it

not

1. And not.

   I wanted a plate of shrimp, not a bucket of chicken.

   He painted the car blue and black, not solid purple.

• The construction “A, not B” is synonymous with the constructions “A, and not B”; “not B, but A”; and “not B, but rather A”.

not!

1. (slang) Used to indicate that the previous phrase was meant sarcastically or ironically. [chiefly 1990s]

   I really like hanging out with my little brother watching Barney … not!

   Sure, you’re perfect the way you are … not!

   • 1911 March, Zane Grey, “Out on the Field”, in The Young Pitcher, New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLC, page 64:

     You've got a swell chance to make this [baseball] team, you have, not! Third base is my job, Freshie. Why, you tow-head, you couldn't play marbles. You butter-finger, can't you stop anything?

   • 1949, E.E 'Doc' Smith, chapter XIV, in Skylark of Valeron, London: Panther, published 1974, page 134:

     "See?" "Uh-huh! Clear and lucid to the point of limpidity - 'not."

   • 2006 May 2, Steve Goldfarb, “Spilling out drops of wine at the Seder”, in soc.culture.jewish.moderated‎ (Usenet):

     Because, of course, sympathy is finite -- and if you use it up on the wrong person then you won't have any left. Not.

• bender, I don't think

• Appendix:American Dialect Society words of the year

not (plural nots)

1. Alternative letter-case form of NOT

Boolean operators and states are commonly written in all uppercase in order to distinguish them from the ordinary uses of the words.

• “not”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

• -ton, NTO, ONT, Ont, Ont., TNO, TON, on't, ton

From notoj.

not m

1. swim

• notoj (“to swim”), bën not (“to swim”)

Probably borrowed from Dutch uitnodiging.

not

1. to invite

not

1. invitation

   Beta dapat not par pigi makang patiti.

   I received an invitation for dinner.

• D. Takaria, C. Pieter (1998) Kamus Bahasa Melayu Ambon-Indonesia‎, Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa

From Greek νότος (nótos).

• Not

not m

1. dry wind from the south

• iug

• vimtu
• sud/Sud
• livã
• austru

not first-singular present indicative

1. Alternative form of anot to swim

From anot (“to swim”). Compare Italian nuoto, Portuguese nado.

not m

1. swim, swimming

• notalui

From German Nut.

not c (singular definite noten, plural indefinite noter)

1. (mechanics) A groove.

From Norwegian not.

not c or n (singular definite noten or notet, plural indefinite noter or not)

1. (fishing) seine net

   Synonym: snurpenot

• snurpenot

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

not

1. imperative of note

• IPA^(key): /noːt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oːt

not

1. Only used in nottun

• IPA^(key): /nɔːt/
• Rhymes: -ɔːt

not n pl (plurale tantum)

1. use

• (use): gagn, notkun

• koma að notum (to be of use, to be useful)

• nota (“to use”)

From Dutch noot, from Middle Dutch note, from Old French note, from Latin nota. Doublet of nota.

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɔt/
• Hyphenation: not

not

1. (music) note, a character, variously formed, to indicate the length of a tone, and variously placed upon the staff to indicate its pitch.

   Synonym: titi nada

• “not” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

not

1. strong/weak nominative/accusative neuter singular of no

• IPA^(key): /nɔt/, /nat/

Reduction of nought (from Old English nāwiht, nōwiht).

• nat, note, notte, nate, nut

not

1. not (negates the accompanying verb)

   Þei ne bileveden hire not. ― They didn't believe her.

2. not (to no degree, extent, or way)

   Þou art not weyke. ― You aren't weak.

   • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎, published c. 1410, Joon ·i· 5:3, page 115v, column 1; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:

     foꝛ þis is þe charite of god .· þat we kepe hiſe comaundementis / ⁊ his maundementis ben not heuy.

     Now this is the love of God: us keeping his commandments. And his commandments aren't onerous.

• English: not
• Geordie English: nut
• Scots: nat (obsolete)
• Yola: nat

• “not, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

not (uncountable)

1. nothing, nought
2. (rare) nobody, no person

• English: not
• Scots: nat (obsolete)

• “not, pron.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

From Old English nāt, first and third person singular of nitan, equivalent to ne +‎ woot and ne +‎ witen.

• not, nat, noot, note

not

1. Contraction of ne woot; not to know.
   • 1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “(please specify the story)”, in The Canterbury Tales, [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], →OCLC; republished in [William Thynne], editor, The Workes of Geffray Chaucer Newlye Printed, […], [London]: […] [Richard Grafton for] Iohn Reynes […], 1542, →OCLC:

     I noot which was the fairer of hem two

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• nost
• nould

• nót (alternative spelling of etymology 1 and 2)

• IPA^(key): /nuːt/

ei ringnot

From Old Norse nót, from Proto-Germanic *nōtō (“net; seine”).

not f (definite singular nota, indefinite plural nøter, definite plural nøtene)

1. (chiefly fishing) a net, seine

From Middle Low German.

not f (definite singular nota, indefinite plural noter, definite plural notene)

1. (carpentry, mechanics) a groove (as used in a tongue and groove joint)

   Coordinate term: fjør

• nothøvel

From Old Norse hnot.

not f (definite singular nota, indefinite plural neter, definite plural netene)

1. (pre-2012) alternative form of nøtt (“nut”)

• “not” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

• nót, nòt, ton, tòn

• nōt

From Latin nota.

• IPA^(key): /not/

not m (nominative plural notas)

1. a sign; mark; a mark made on an object

• Middle English: note, noote
  • Scots: note
  • English: note

From Old Norse nót, from Proto-Germanic *nōtō.

• IPA^(key): /noːt/

nōt f

1. net, seine

• Swedish: not

• notg (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran)

From Latin noctem, accusative of nox, from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts.

not f (plural nots)

1. (Puter, Vallader) night

• IPA^(key): /n̪ˠɔht̪/

not m (genitive singular not, plural notaichean)

1. Alternative form of nota

From Old French note (noun), noter (verb), both from Latin nota.

• IPA^(key): /ˈnuːt/

not c

1. (music) note.
2. a short message; note.
3. (diplomacy) a formal message from a country to another country’s embassy.

• vara med på noterna

• notera

Related to nät (“net”).

not c

1. seine

• ont, ton

From English North.

not

1. North

From French note.

• IPA^(key): /ˈnot/
• Rhymes: -ot

not (definite accusative notu, plural notlar)

1. a short message; note

   Not: Seni seviyorum. ― PS: I love you.

2. grade, score

• IPA^(key): /nɔt/

Borrowed from English knot.

not m (plural notiau, not mutable)

1. (aviation, nautical) knot

not

1. Nasal mutation of dot.