not

[ not ]

/ nɒt /

adverb

(used to express negation, denial, refusal, or prohibition): You must not do that. It's not far from here.

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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Question 1 of 7

anchorite

a granular metamorphic rock.

a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.

a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.

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Idioms for not

not so much, Informal. (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.

Origin of not

1275–1325; Middle English; weak variant of nought

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH not

knot not

Words nearby not

nostro account, nostromo, nostrum, nosy, nosy parker, not, not a bad sort, not a bit, not a chinaman's chance, not a hope in hell, not a leg to stand on

Definition for not (2 of 3)

NOT

[ not ]

/ nɒt /

noun

a Boolean operator that returns a positive result if its operand is negative and a negative result if its operand is positive.

Definition for not (3 of 3)

not-

variant of noto- before a vowel.

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for not (1 of 2)

not

/ (nɒt) /

adverb

used to negate the sentence, phrase, or word that it modifiesI will not stand for it
(in combination)they cannot go

not that (conjunction) which is not to say or suppose thatI expect to lose the game — not that I mind Also (archaic): not but what

sentence substitute

used to indicate denial, negation, or refusalcertainly not

Word Origin for not

C14 not, variant of nought nothing, from Old English nāwiht, from nā no + wiht creature, thing. See naught, nought

British Dictionary definitions for not (2 of 2)

not-

combining form

a variant of noto-

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with not

not

In addition to the idioms beginning with not

not a bad sort
not a bit
not able
not about to
not a Chinaman's chance
not a hope in hell
not a leg to stand on
not a living soul
not all it's cracked up to be
not all that
not all there
not anything like
not at all
not bad
not bat an eye
not be caught dead
not born yesterday
not breathe a word
not built that way
not by a long shot
not by any means
not cricket
not done
not enough room to swing a cat
not feel oneself
not for all the tea in China
not for a moment
not for love or money
not give a damn
not give someone the time of day
not half bad
not have a bean
not have a clue
not have an earthly chance
not have anything on
not have it
not have one's heart in it
not have the heart to
not having any
not hurt a fly
not if one can help it
not if you paid me
not in the least
not know beans
not know enough to come in out of the rain
not know someone from Adam
not know where to turn
not know whether one is coming or going
not let the grass grow under one's feet
not lift a finger
not miss a trick
not move a muscle
not my cup of tea
not one iota
not one's day, this is
not oneself
not on your life
not open one's mouth
not put something past someone
not right in the head
not see beyond one's nose
not suffer fools gladly
not take no for answer
not the half of it
not the only fish in the sea
not think much of
not to be sneezed at
not to mention
not touch with a ten-foot pole
not to worry
not turn a hair
not up to
not worth a damn

also see:

all that glitters is not gold
(not) all there
(not) at all
believe it or not
caught dead, not be
(not a) Chinaman's chance
coming or going, not know if
do as I say (not as I do)
game is not worth the candle
heart (not) in it
hold one's breath, not
(not) in the least
(not) in the mood
it's (not) your funeral
last but not least
like as not
living soul, not a
mince matters, not to
more often than not
(not) move a muscle
no problem (not to worry)
(not to) sneeze at
(not) take no for an answer
(not) the half of it
(not) turn a hair
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

For verbal phrases also see undercan'tcouldn'twouldn't.

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not

adverb

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Idioms for not

Origin of not

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH not

Words nearby not

Definition for not (2 of 3)

noun

Definition for not (3 of 3)

British Dictionary definitions for not (1 of 2)

adverb

sentence substitute

Word Origin for not

British Dictionary definitions for not (2 of 2)

combining form

Idioms and Phrases with not

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

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WORD OF THE DAY

not

adverb

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Idioms for not

Origin of not

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH not

Words nearby not

Definition for not (2 of 3)

noun

Definition for not (3 of 3)

Content related to not

Words related to not

British Dictionary definitions for not (1 of 2)

adverb

sentence substitute

Word Origin for not

British Dictionary definitions for not (2 of 2)

combining form

Idioms and Phrases with not