not until

idiom

: not before
Not until you finish your homework can you go outside.
When you finish your homework you can go outside, but not until then.

Examples of not until in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Eventually the weekly would fold, but not until Pryor had secured a seat in the state Legislature. Frank E. Lockwood, arkansasonline.com, 20 Apr. 2024 The announcement fulfills one of Biden’s key campaign promises – though not until the tail end of his first term. Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024 Bostic now expects just one interest rate cut in 2024, and not until the end of the year. Will Daniel, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024 The average first 100-degree day is not until May 2nd. Abigail Celaya, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024 Given that the next total solar eclipse isn’t slated to happen for another 20 years or so in the United States—and not until 2317 in Dallas—JSX doesn’t have any immediate plans to replicate its path-of-totality flight. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024 The 3-point line was also quickly addressed once it was discovered – but not until after five tournament games had been played on the court. Anne M. Peterson and Doug Feinberg, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2024 That could, in theory, open the door to a lunar rapprochement between Washington and Beijing, though likely not until economic and military tensions between the two global giants cool. Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024 But not until now has there been a proper feature film. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 1 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'not until.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near not until

Cite this Entry

“Not until.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20until. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.

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