not

The word “not” means a word used to make a statement, verb, or phrase negative. In plain terms, the basic word for turning a statement into its opposite — the core of English negation.

“Not” is pronounced not (/nɑt/ in IPA).

Here is “not” used in a sentence: “I am not going to the party tonight.”

“Not” is an adverb.

The word “not” comes from Old English. From Middle English not/nat, a shortened form of Old English nāwiht ("nothing"), literally "not anything.".

“Not” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Not” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a word used to make a statement, verb, or phrase negative.

"Not" makes verbs and phrases negative and usually attaches to a verb ("She is not here," "do not touch"), while "no" negates nouns directly ("no money," "no problem") or answers a question. Modern English says "I have no time" or "I do not have time," but not "I have not time."

"Not" shortens to "n't" and attaches to auxiliary and modal verbs: "isn't," "don't," "can't," "shouldn't." The contraction "won't" is irregular, standing for "will not," and "cannot" is normally written as a single word.

In standard English, two negatives in one clause are avoided because they logically cancel each other out; the standard form is "I don't know anything." Double negatives are common in many dialects and in casual speech for emphasis, but they are considered nonstandard in formal writing.