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
After negotiating a $20 billion settlement, Boy Kavalier agrees to return the creatures, but not until the six-week off-world quarantine period ends.
—
Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
The viewers expressed as much on social media, although not until things had gone sideways, with a safety and Cougars touchdown that put the Aztecs behind 19-7 at the half.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2025
Signing free agents such as Al Horford, Cody Martin, and De'Anthony Melton could greatly improve their title chances, but not until the Kuminga drama is solved.
—Anthony Pasciolla, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Because the filing deadline is not until September, Flores can easily shift her bid from Cuellar’s district back to Gonzalez’s.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not until
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Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
The viewers expressed as much on social media, although not until things had gone sideways, with a safety and Cougars touchdown that put the Aztecs behind 19-7 at the half.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2025
Signing free agents such as Al Horford, Cody Martin, and De'Anthony Melton could greatly improve their title chances, but not until the Kuminga drama is solved.
—Anthony Pasciolla, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Because the filing deadline is not until September, Flores can easily shift her bid from Cuellar’s district back to Gonzalez’s.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not until
Cite this Entry
“Not until.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20until. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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