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DictionarynotNegation
adverb / interjection / noun

not

NAHT/nɑːt/

Used to deny a statement or make an expression negative.

The caregiver does not let the child take a cookie.

A child reaches toward a cookie jar while a caregiver gently blocks the hand, shakes her head, and keeps the jar closed, making the negative response visible without words.
Etymology
notMiddle Englishin no way

The older expression 'in no way' became an unstressed particle, preserving its negative meaning as the ordinary marker used to negate statements.

In context

TED speaker7:50
you do not want to mess with a hippo or a rhino…
Hunting for dinosaurs showed me our place in the universe | Kenneth Lacovara | TED
Fronteiras do Pensamento speaker0:13
It's not just individuals, though, that experience nostalgia.
Mark Lilla – Teoria política para iniciantes

More examples

  • I ask for tea, not coffee.
  • Will it rain? I hope not.
  • Another flat tire—just what I need. Not!
  • In logic, not reverses the truth value of a statement.

Forms

not · nots

Similar words

no
Gives a negative answer or negates a noun directly.
never
Means not at any time, rather than a general negative.