Definition of nay
: no
- Only one councillor voted nay on the proposal.
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Examples of nay in a Sentence
Nay, I do not wish to go.
I was angry—nay, furious—at the way they were treating that poor dog.
Origin and Etymology of nay
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: 13th century
in the meaning defined above
See Words from the same yearnay Synonyms
Related Words
assuredly, certainly, decidedly, definitely, doubtless, incontestably, incontrovertibly, indisputably, positively, really, surely, truly, undeniably, undoubtedly, unquestionably;
Phrases
in fact, in reality, in truth;
Definition of nay
2 a
: 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.
Examples of nay in a Sentence
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 of nay from the Web
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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.
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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.
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Evidently that turned some of the ayes heard by the Senate president into nays, because the proposal was defeated, 21 to 17.
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The amendment was voted down, but received 35 yea votes to 50 nays — a ratio that advocates considered to be a victory, however small.
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Among 192 Democrats, there were 186 nays and 6 yeas.
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All the nays were Republicans, who think Mr. Trump handed Democrats greater leverage for showdowns in December.
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Nawahine (whose name is pronounced kuh-LAY-oh NOW-uh-hee-nay) was chosen from 10 regional winners.
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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.
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.
Origin and Etymology of nay
see 1nay
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: 14th century
in the meaning defined at sense 1
See Words from the same yearnay Synonyms
Synonyms
declination, denial, disallowance, no, nonacceptance, refusal, rejection, turndown;
Near Antonyms
acceptance, accession, acquiescence, agreement, assent, authorization, clearance, concurrence, consent, leave, license (or licence), permission, sanction, sufferance;
imprimatur, seal, signature, stamp;
Definition of nay
: not merely this but also : not only so but
- the letter made him happy, nay, ecstatic
Origin and Etymology of nay
NAY Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of nay for English Language Learners
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—used to correct what you have said by replacing a word with one that is more accurate or appropriate
NAY Defined for Kids
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See words that rhyme with nay Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for nay Spanish Central: Translation of nay Nglish: Translation of nay for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of nay for Arabic speakers
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