not

play

adverb \ˈnät\

Definition of not

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 words is sometimes hard to see and sometimes not

See not defined for English-language learners

See not defined for kids

Examples of not in a Sentence

He was standing not six feet away from me.
The bullet passed not five inches from my head!

Origin and Etymology of not

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

NEW!

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

NOT

play

noun \ˈnät\

Definition of NOT

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

Recent Examples of not from the Web

There was a huge gap between the haves and have-nots.

— chuck yarborough, cleveland.com, "U2's 'The Joshua Tree' concert: a journey to the past and tomorrow for Brooklyn native", 26 June 2017
His visualization of a futuristic train whose cars duplicate the class system of haves and have-nots was beyond dazzling.

— julie hinds, Detroit Free Press, "Five reasons to see 'Okja' (besides the giant pig)", 24 June 2017
The D.C. Council unanimously approved a $13.9 billion city budget Tuesday, capping months of debate about how to use newly abundant tax dollars to remedy a growing gap between haves and have-nots in the nation’s capital.

— peter jamison, Washington Post, "D.C. Council finalizes $13.9 billion budget that includes more education spending", 13 June 2017
Mostly, the claim has to do with the haves and the have nots.

— baltimoresun.com, "Dolezal and Baltimore's two faces", 1 June 2017
What is necessary is law, law with thou-shalt-nots and punishments built in.

— paul sassone, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Do Oak Parkers really want to go where plastic bag ban could lead?", 17 May 2017
The NBA meticulously designed its draft system so that the have-nots get a chance to reverse course and help the league achieve competitive balance.

— michael salfino, WSJ, "The Brooklyn Nets’ Pain Is the Boston Celtics’ Draft Gain", 16 May 2017
This will only exacerbate the divide between the haves and the have-nots -- all without making us any safer.

— bruce schneier, CNN, "Why extending laptop ban makes no sense", 16 May 2017
But this two-tiered system of haves and have-nots is poised for its biggest transformation in decades.

— robin pogrebin, New York Times, "Arts Groups on Edge as New York City Re-evaluates Cultural Funding", 8 May 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.

Origin and Etymology of not

not

NEW!

First Known Use: 1947

See Words from the same year

Other Computer-Related Terms

adware, flash, kludge, phishing, recursive, router

NOT Defined for English Language Learners

not

play

adverb

Definition of not for English Language Learners

—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
—used humorously at the end of a positive statement to show that you really meant the opposite

NOT Defined for Kids

not

play

adverb \ˈnät\

Definition of not for Students

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