nay

adverb

\ˈnā

Definition of nay

(Entry 1 of 3)

: no Only one councillor voted nay on the proposal.

nay

noun

Definition of nay (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : denial, refusal

2a : a negative reply or vote The nays outnumbered the ayes, and so the measure did not pass.

b : one who votes no He voted with the nays.

nay

conjunction

Definition of nay (Entry 3 of 3)

: not merely this but also : not only so but the letter made him happy, nay, ecstatic

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about nay

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Synonyms & Antonyms for nay

Synonyms: Adverb

even, indeed, truly, verily, yea

Synonyms: Noun

negative, no, non placet

Antonyms: Noun

positive, yea, yes

Examples of nay in a Sentence

Adverb

Nay, I do not wish to go. I was angry—nay, furious—at the way they were treating that poor dog.

Noun

when the votes were tallied, it was 241 yeas and 54 nays gave a resounding nay to the request for a mixed-company camping trip

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The nay was made from thick reeds that grew wild in the region stretching from Ancient Egypt to Mesopotamia – at the heart of which lies modern-day Jordan. — Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, "In rediscovered reed flute, a soulful link to Jordanian identity," 13 July 2018 The Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act, 85 yeas to 10 nays (NDAA) Monday, and in the legislation included language that would ban Chinese telecom giant ZTE from conducting business in the United States. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "If only we had a Congress," 19 June 2018 Evidently that turned some of the ayes heard by the Senate president into nays, because the proposal was defeated, 21 to 17. — Patricia Mazzei, New York Times, "Here Is Why Florida Has So Much Trouble Passing Gun Laws," 4 Mar. 2018 The amendment was voted down, but received 35 yea votes to 50 nays — a ratio that advocates considered to be a victory, however small. — Emily Hopkins, Indianapolis Star, "Can cutting trees be good for Indiana forests? Or is it just about timber profits?," 11 Feb. 2018 Among 192 Democrats, there were 186 nays and 6 yeas. — Deroy Murdock, National Review, "The 92 Percent Schumer Shutdown Is Now 100 Percent Kaput," 23 Jan. 2018 All the nays were Republicans, who think Mr. Trump handed Democrats greater leverage for showdowns in December. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Trump, Taxes and the Democrats," 11 Sep. 2017 Nawahine (whose name is pronounced kuh-LAY-oh NOW-uh-hee-nay) was chosen from 10 regional winners. — John Sowell, idahostatesman, "He won a national small-business award. Now his company is defaulting on projects.," 31 July 2017 That’s far above the 5 percent of nays cast on pay at the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index during the same year. — Gretchen Morgenson, New York Times, "Meet the Highest-Paid C.E.O.s in 2015," 27 May 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nay.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.