NOT Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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not

[not]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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!

NOT

[not]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

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

not-

variant of noto- before a vowel.

not

/ ��ɒ�� /

adverb

1. used to negate the sentence, phrase, or word that it modifies
  I will not stand for it
2. ( in combination )
  they cannot go
Also (archaic): not but what.��(conjunction) which is not to say or suppose that
I expect to lose the game — not that I mind

used to indicate denial, negation, or refusal
certainly not

not-

combining form

a variant of noto-

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of not¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English; weak variant of nought

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of not¹

C14 not, variant of nought nothing, from Old English ��ɾ��, from �� no + wiht creature, thing. See _naught , _nought

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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.

In addition to the idioms beginning with not, 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 under can't; couldn't; wouldn't.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The reality is that we're an agricultural economy in recession, and that is not being strong enough.

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“This is not a laughing matter, and certainly what we are seeing in increasing violence and this evil man who did this, this is not a joke.”

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The films might not have been sold as acting showcases, but for Johnson, they were the indisputable making of a movie star.

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He always returned to his "beloved Beethoven", for whom "his admiration grew by the day, if not the hour".

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Antoniazzi's amendment will be voted on first - if it is approved, a vote will not take place on Creasy's alternative proposal.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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