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
Remember when Nick [Saban] was hired at Alabama years ago, that was not until the Monday of the national championship game.
—
Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
The next reporting deadline for political committees and electioneering communications organizations is not until January.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 25 Nov. 2025
Alas, though, not until Peterson gets past his own problem.
—Kansas City Star, 22 Nov. 2025
But these families cannot — not until someone answers for what happened to their daughters.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not until
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Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
The next reporting deadline for political committees and electioneering communications organizations is not until January.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 25 Nov. 2025
Alas, though, not until Peterson gets past his own problem.
—Kansas City Star, 22 Nov. 2025
But these families cannot — not until someone answers for what happened to their daughters.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 18 Nov. 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 19 Dec. 2025.
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