not

¹

[not]

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!

NOT

²

[not]

noun

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

not-

³

1. variant of noto- before a vowel.

not

¹

/ 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

1. used to indicate denial, negation, or refusal

   certainly not

not-

²

combining form

1. a variant of noto-

Word History and Origins

Origin of not¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of not¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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.

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

Example Sentences

This is not all that normal when it comes to Scotland and World Cup qualification.

From BBC

But Higuita would not be deemed fit enough to make the squad for the United States.

From BBC

It is not known what caused the fire and there are no reports of casualties.

From BBC

"She's not changed a bit and I think that's the biggest testament to who she is. None of this has fazed her."

From BBC

Hoffman: No. And here’s the reason for that, I’m not opposed to that convo but I think a real fear of an actor is that you’re doing the same thing every time.

From Los Angeles Times