AIN'T Definition & Meaning

ain't

[ eynt ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

Nonstandard except in some dialects. contraction of am not; are not; is not.
Nonstandard. contraction of have not; has not; do not; does not; did not.

ain't

/ ��ɪ�Գ� /

contraction of

am not, is not, are not, have not, or has not
I ain't seen it

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Usage Note

As a substitute for am not, is not, and are not in declarative sentences, ain't is more common in uneducated speech than in educated, but it occurs with some frequency in the informal speech of the educated, especially in the southern and south-central states. This is especially true of the interrogative use of ain't I? as a substitute for the formal and—to some—stilted am I not? or for aren't I?, considered by some to be ungrammatical, or for the awkward—and rare in American speech— amn't I? Some speakers avoid any of the preceding forms by substituting Isn't that so ( true, the case ) ? Ain't occurs in humorous or set phrases: Ain't it the truth! She ain't what she used to be. It ain't funny. The word is also used for emphasis: That just ain't so! It does not appear in formal writing except for deliberate effect in such phrases or to represent speech. As a substitute for have not or has not and—occasionally in Southern speech— do not, does not, and did not, it is nonstandard except in similar humorous uses: You ain't heard nothin' yet! aren't.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of ain't¹

First recorded in 1770–80; variant of amn't (contraction of am not ) by loss of m and raising with compensatory lengthening of a; aren't

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In Kalamazoo, the audience got to experience this on “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,” which opened the show, as well as “It ��’t Me, Babe” and “Watching the River Flow.”

From

For an encore, Combs sang his tender version of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” which he said had changed his life, and “��’t No Love in Oklahoma,” from last year’s “Twisters” movie, before welcoming Garth Brooks to the stage for “one last ‘hell yeah’ before we all go back to the real world.”

From

“I feel like we were just giving up too many blow-bys, and it really ��’t had nothing to do with our size. It was just on-base defense and rotations outside of when we gotta scramble. I feel like we didn’t have the sense of urgency the whole game, and they did.”

From

He brought something out of me that just ��’t the same without him.

From

That was until she met Trujillo, the Tony Award-winning choreographer behind some of Broadway’s most popular productions: “Memphis,” “Jersey Boys,” “On Your Feet!” and “��’t Too Proud.”

From

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Is Ain't A 51�Թ�?

**And is ��&#��27;��in the dictionary?**

��’t is not listed as a standard word in this dictionary, meaning that language users don’t view it as an accepted word and don’t use it regularly with a standard meaning. Instead, ��’t is viewed as an informal contraction of am not, are not, or is not.��

An informal contraction is a term used in informal situations but not recognized as acceptable by most language users. You wouldn’t use ��’t in formal or semiformal situations, but you might use it among your friends, especially for humorous effect.��

Note: Just because a word isn’t considered a standard word in the dictionary doesn’t necessarily mean it’s “not a word.” Some people may use it, and if enough people start using it regularly, it may be added to the dictionary.

ainga Aintab

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51�Թ�

ain't

contraction of

Usage Note

51�Թ� History and Origins

Example Sentences

Is Ain't A 51�Թ�?

And is ������&#��27;����in the dictionary?

**And is ��&#��27;��in the dictionary?**