note

verb

\ ˈnōt

noted; noting

Definition of note

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : to notice or observe with care … instructors had noted that he did not perform well under pressure.— Stephan Wilkinson

b : to record or preserve in writing The detective noted the details of the witness's account of the robbery.

2a : to make special mention of or remark on The commendation notes the bravery of the fire fighter.

b : indicate, show Records fail to note what became of him.

note

noun

Definition of note (Entry 2 of 2)

1a(1) obsolete : melody, song

(2) : tone sense 2a

(3) : call, sound especially : the musical call of a bird

b : a written symbol used to indicate duration and pitch of a tone by its shape and position on the staff

2a : a characteristic feature (as of odor or flavor)

b : something (such as an emotion or disposition) like a note in tone or resonance a note of sadness end on a high note

3a(1) : memorandum

(2) : a condensed or informal record

b(1) : a brief comment or explanation

(2) : a printed comment or reference set apart from the text

c(1) : a written promise to pay a debt

(2) : a piece of paper money

(3) : a government or corporate bond usually with a maturity of between two and ten years

d(1) : a short informal letter

(2) : a formal diplomatic communication

e : a scholarly or technical essay shorter than an article and restricted in scope

f : a sheet of notepaper

4a : distinction, reputation a figure of international note

b : observation, notice took full note of the proceedings

c : knowledge, information

Other Words from note Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about note

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Choose the Right Synonym for note

Noun

sign, mark, token, note, symptom mean a discernible indication of what is not itself directly perceptible. sign applies to any indication to be perceived by the senses or the reason. encouraging signs for the economy mark suggests something impressed on or inherently characteristic of a thing often in contrast to general outward appearance. a mark of a good upbringing token applies to something that serves as a proof of something intangible. this gift is a token of our esteem note suggests a distinguishing mark or characteristic. a note of irony in her writing symptom suggests an outward indication of an internal change or condition. rampant crime is a symptom of that city's decay

Examples of note in a Sentence

Verb

You may have noted my late arrival. The thing to note here is that people are suffering. It's interesting to note how quickly things have changed. Their objections were duly noted. As one official noted, the situation has begun to get out of control. As noted above most people survive the disease. “They've asked us to leave,” he noted with amusement.

Noun

She wrote a note to remind herself about the appointment. I left you a note on the kitchen table. making notes in the margins of a book She jotted down a few notes during the interview. After class, I usually study my notes and read the next chapter. I can't come to class today. Would you mind taking notes for me? His secretary took notes during our meeting. Please include a brief note about where the picture was taken. He writes in the program notes that the play was inspired by his own childhood. One final note: tickets will be available at the door the night of the concert.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The website also has information on lifestyle, noting that Arizona has more than 300 golf courses and five professional sports teams. — Maureen Bohannon, azcentral, "Phoenix economic group looks to lure Californians to Arizona with #CAStruggles campaign," 13 June 2019 Reis, a writer, offered Gov. Jared Polis notes during the campaign. — Nic Garcia, The Denver Post, "The Spot: The inside scoop on first gentleman Marlon Reis, reinsurance program moves forward, and who is the most electable in the 2020 Senate race?," 13 June 2019 Almonds are repeatedly referenced in the Bible, andRoman author Pliny the Elder notes their acrid taste in his massive A.D. 77–79 tome Natural History. — Jennifer Leman, Scientific American, "The Bitter Truth: Scientists Sequence the Almond Genome," 13 June 2019 Stock movements noted by ticker reflect movements during regular trading hours; premarket trading is specified separately. — Amrith Ramkumar, WSJ, "Stocks to Watch: United Technologies, Beyond Meat, Alphabet, Sprint, Tesla, and More," 12 June 2019 The Mirror notes that claims over a £30m agreement are 'premature', while a report earlier this week claimed that £25m is price tag that Dalian Yifang have set. — SI.com, "Bayern Munich Consider Late Challenge to Arsenal for Yannick Carrasco Signature," 12 June 2019 Rare Bird then scoffed at the amount Tynes was seeking in her lawsuit, essentially calling her book garbage, noting that the book had less than 50 copies set for pre-order, with only a few hundred scheduled to be printed. — Breanna Edwards, Essence, "Book Publisher Eviscerates Writer Following DC Metro Shaming Lawsuit," 12 June 2019 His lawyers had urged the judge to keep him out of prison, noting the coach quickly accepted responsibility for his actions and didn't pocket any of the money for himself. — Alanna Durkin Richer, Anchorage Daily News, "Former Stanford coach avoids prison time in college bribery scam," 12 June 2019 But multiple Project Galileo users, along with Cloudflare itself, note that organizations benefit from having choices about who to work with. — Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, "Cloudflare’s Five-Year Project to Protect Nonprofits Online," 12 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Some took note and objected to coach Vic Fangio scheduling five afternoon practices during training camp that are open to fans. — Ryan O'halloran, The Denver Post, "O’Halloran: Jerry Jones remembers “brotherhood” relationship with Pat Bowlen," 15 June 2019 This, along with heartbreaking posts from Sudanese influencers on social media, means people in the Western world are finally sitting up and taking note of the political chaos in Sudan, which reached new levels of severity this week. — Natalie Gil, refinery29.com, "Rape, Massacre & Despair: Why We All Need To Wake Up To The Crisis In Sudan," 15 June 2019 After getting hit twice by Lambert, Bryant didn’t play Wednesday but took note of four Cubs and Rockies players get drilled by pitches, including Rockies slugger Nolan Arenado. — Mark Gonzales, chicagotribune.com, "Kris Bryant has some advice for those seeking to pitch him inside: 'Do it with guys that know how to throw there'," 14 June 2019 Meanwhile, here's what William Shatner had to say about the discovery: Any Trekkies looking to make the ultimate fan journey should take note: the dune is on southeastern region of the planet, in an area known as Hellas Planitia. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "The Star Trek Logo Was Found on Mars. Really.," 14 June 2019 Taking note of the trend that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, the berry company Driscoll’s is giving consumers a new way to enjoy their favorite pink drink: in strawberry and raspberry form. — Hannah Chubb, PEOPLE.com, "You Can Now Buy Rosé-Flavored Strawberries and Raspberries," 14 June 2019 Beginners take note: there is no shame in hiking-a-bike! — Heather Balogh Rochfort, The Know, "Mountain biking trails that’ll get you home in time for dinner," 13 June 2019 More broadly, for the EU to break its promise to one Balkan state will boost leaders in others who say the Europeans cannot be trusted, and other powers sniffing around, from Russia to China to Turkey, will take note. — The Economist, "The EU must keep its promise to North Macedonia," 13 June 2019 Take note of the fabric paint’s transparency and consistency. — Kelly Dawson, House Beautiful, "How to Choose the Best Fabric Paint for Your Project," 13 June 2019

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

History and Etymology for note

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French noter, from Latin notare to mark, note, from nota

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin nota mark, character, written note

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Dictionary Entries near note

Statistics for note

Last Updated

17 Jun 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for note

The first known use of note was in the 13th century

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More Definitions for note

note

noun

Financial Definition of note

What It Is

In the finance world, a note is debt.

How It Works

Notes are typically medium-term debt, but not always. For example, Treasury notes (T-notes) are intermediate-term bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury. They mature in two, three, five or 10 years.

You might hear people use the phrase "carry the note," which means to take on debt from another issuer. For example, let's say you plan to purchase a business for $2 million. You have only $200,000 in cash for the seller and want to pay the seller over time for the rest. Essentially, you're borrowing $1.8 million from the seller, and the seller is "carrying a note" until you pay back that $1.8 million.

Why It Matters

There are many kinds of notes: municipal notes, Treasury notes, bank notes, promissory notes, etc. Like all debt, the terms vary, including the interest rates, face values, maturities and other provisions.

Source: Investing Answers

tax anticipation note

noun

Financial Definition of tax anticipation note

What It Is

A tax anticipation note (TAN) is a short-term note that a state or local government issues and expects to repay with imminent tax receipts.

How It Works

Town XYZ wants to purchase a new building to replace the old City Hall. The building costs $10 million. Town XYZ expects to pay $5 million cash for the building but needs to raise another $5 million. It expects to receive at least that much next April after the annual income tax filing deadline has passed, but the real estate deal is scheduled to close six months before that date, in October.

Because of the timing, Town XYZ issues $5 million of tax anticipation notes that mature in May. (Note that tax anticipation notes are typically issued at a discount, meaning that the investors will pay, say, 95% of the face value of each bond; the actual discount depends on the market and the issuer’s creditworthiness.) The notes pay buyers 5% interest per year. Remember, however, that the notes will be outstanding for less than one year.

Town XYZ is then able to purchase the building for $10 million in October. When April arrives, Town XYZ has its income tax receipts and uses a portion of them to repay the TANs (which generally get first dibs on tax receipts). TAN maturities are usually not longer than one calendar year.

Why It Matters

Tax anticipation notes provide state and local governments with a way to stabilize cash inflows and outflows during the year. In turn, this allows governments to proceed with capital projects immediately rather than waiting to have the actual cash in hand.

Tax anticipation notes are a type of municipal bonds -- investors are generally able to obtain interest tax-free.

Source: Investing Answers

note

verb

English Language Learners Definition of note

(Entry 1 of 2)

formal

: to notice or pay attention to (something)

: to say or write (something)

note

noun

English Language Learners Definition of note (Entry 2 of 2)

: a short piece of writing that is used to help someone remember something

: an informal written record of things that are said and done

: a short piece of writing that gives you information : a brief comment or explanation

See the full definition for note in the English Language Learners Dictionary

note

verb

\ ˈnōt

noted; noting

Kids Definition of note

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to notice or observe with care Note the differences between the two paintings.

2 : to record in writing Let me note down your address.

3 : to make special mention of His speech noted everyone's achievements.

note

noun

Kids Definition of note (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a musical sound : tone

2 : a symbol in music that by its shape and position on the staff shows the pitch of a tone and the length of time it is to be held

3 : the musical call or song of a bird

4 : a quality that shows a feeling There's a note of sadness in your voice.

5 : something written down often to aid the memory I'll make a note of the appointment.

6 : a printed comment in a book that helps explain part of the text

7 : distinction sense 3 artists of note

8 : a short written message or letter a thank-you note

9 : careful notice Please take note of the time.

10 : frame of mind : mood She began the day on a happy note.

11 : a piano key

12 : a written promise to pay a debt

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note

noun

Legal Definition of note

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a written promise to pay a debt specifically : promissory note in this entry

— bank note

: a promissory note issued by a bank payable to bearer on demand but without interest and circulating as money

— cognovit note \ käg-ˈnō-vit-, kōg- \

: a note in which the maker acknowledges the debt and authorizes the entry of judgment against him or her without notice or a hearing : a note containing a confession of judgment

— collateral note

: a note secured especially by a collateral mortgage and pledged to secure an obligation of which a hand note usually serves as evidence

— demand note

: a note payable on demand — compare time note in this entry

— floating rate note

: a negotiable note that yields an indexed and periodically adjusted variable rate of interest

— called also floater

— hand note

: a note for an obligation secured by a collateral note

— non-recourse note

: a note whose satisfaction upon default may be obtained only out of the collateral securing it

— promissory note

: a note containing an unconditional promise to pay on demand or at a fixed or determined future time a particular sum of money to or to the order of a specified person or to the bearer

— recourse note

: a note whose satisfaction upon default may be obtained from the debtor's assets other than and in addition to the collateral securing it

— renewal note

: a note that continues an obligation due under a previous note

— tax anticipation note

: a note issued by a state or municipality on pending tax revenue to fund immediate governmental expenditures

— time note

: a note payable at a specified time in the future — compare demand note in this entry

— Treasury note

: a negotiable note issued by the U.S. government with a maturity date of one to ten years from the date of issue

— called also T-note

— compare Treasury bill at bill sense 7, Treasury bond at bond sense 2