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not

adverb
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\ ˈnät How to pronounce not (audio) \

Definition of not

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 —used as a function word to make negative a group of words or a word
2 —used as a function word to stand for the negative of a preceding group of wordsis sometimes hard to see and sometimes not

NOT

noun
\ ˈnät How to pronounce NOT (audio) \

Definition of NOT (Entry 2 of 2)

: a logical operator (see operator sense 3a) that produces a statement that is the inverse (see inverse entry 2 sense 3a) of an input statement

Examples of not in a Sentence

Adverb He was standing not six feet away from me. The bullet passed not five inches from my head!
Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb Locals sign up for the event, but don't be surprised if celebrities make an appearance. — Jessica Hice, Indianapolis Star, "11 free things to do at the Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration," 6 July 2017 Can't wait to see this come to life on the big screen. — Sarah Wu, Teen Vogue, "Shailene Woodley's Adrift SFX Makeup," 6 July 2017 Exercise isn’t boring with these four innovative (and wacky) fitness routines. — Alexandra Sifferlin, Time, "4 Weird Ways to Work Out," 6 July 2017 Veil survived the Holocaust, but her mother, father and brother did not. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "France’s Simone Veil Will Become the Fifth Woman Buried in the Panthéon," 6 July 2017 And the bloodbath won’t end soon: this winter, a report by Moody’s Investors Service found that debt maturities were on their way to record levels in the next five years. — Phil Wahba, PEOPLE.com, "True Religion Brand Jeans Files for Bankruptcy," 6 July 2017 The June coaching change didn't sacrifice a good recruiting class. — Bill Landis, cleveland.com, "The cost of Ohio State basketball's untimely coaching change? A great Ohio recruiting class," 6 July 2017 Still, as Deadline noted on Friday, True Detective has not received the formal green light for a third season. — Esquire Editors, Esquire, "Mahershala Ali Is Reportedly in Talks to Star in True Detective Season 3," 6 July 2017 Their joint celebration on the Fourth isn't Affleck and Garner's first reunion since filing for divorce. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner Spend July 4th Together," 5 July 2017

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

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First Known Use of not

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1947, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for not

Adverb

Middle English, alteration of nought, from nought, pronoun — more at naught

Noun

not

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Time Traveler for not

Time Traveler

The first known use of not was in the 13th century

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Cite this Entry

“Not.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not. Accessed 29 May. 2020.

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More Definitions for not

not

adverb
How to pronounce NOT (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of not

—used to form the negative of modal verbs (such as "should" and "could") and auxiliary verbs (such as "do" and "have")
—used with a negative word to make a positive statement
informal + humorous —used humorously at the end of a positive statement to show that you really meant the opposite

See the full definition for not in the English Language Learners Dictionary

not

adverb
\ ˈnät How to pronounce not (audio) \

Kids Definition of not

1 —used to make a word or group of words negativeThe books are not here.
2 —used to stand for the negative of a group of words that comes beforeIt is sometimes hard to see and sometimes not.

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More from Merriam-Webster on not

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for not

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with not

Spanish Central: Translation of not

Nglish: Translation of not for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of not for Arabic Speakers

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