no

Not any.

Adverb not comparable

  1. Not, not at all.
    • It is a less physical kind of torture, but no less gruesome.
    • I can think of no more deserving cause.
    • Look no further than one's nose.

    1. Used before different, before comparatives with more and less, and idiomatically before other comparatives.

    2. (informal) Used idiomatically before certain other adjectives.

      • This thing is no good.
      • The teacher’s decision was no fair.
  2. Not.
    • I just want to find out whether she's coming or no.
    • Can ye no help me?
    • AS the Devil is not so Black as he is Painted, so neither does he appear in so many Shapes as we make for him; we Dress him up in more Suits of Cloaths, and more Masquerade Habits, than ever he wore; and I question...
  3. Not, does not, do not, etc.
    • Ug no like veggie.

Origin

Inherited from Middle English no, na, from Old English nā, nō (“no, not, not ever, never”), from Proto-West Germanic *naiwō, from Proto-Germanic *naiwô (“never”), from *ne (“not”) + *aiwō (“ever”), equivalent to Old English ne + ā, ō. Cognate with Scots na (“no”), Saterland Frisian noa (“no”), West Frisian né (“no”), nea (“never”), Dutch nee (“no”), Low German nee (“no”), German nie (“never”), dialectal German nö (“no”), Danish nej (“no”), Swedish nej (“no”), Icelandic nei (“no”). More at nay.

Adverb alt of, alternative

  1. Alternative form of No.

Origin

Variant of No., from the scribal abbreviation for Latin (in) numerō (“in number, to the number of”).

Determiner

  1. Not any.
    • no one
    • There is no water left.
    • No hot dogs were sold yesterday.

    Synonyms: zero not even one not one

    Antonyms: any some one a few a couple of a handful of multiple various many numerous countless every single

  2. Hardly any.
    • We'll be finished in no time at all.
    • Fifty pounds for this is no money, really.

    Antonyms: quite some

  3. Not any possibility or allowance of (something).
    • No smoking. No parking.
    • There's no stopping her once she gets going.
    • No under-18s (allowed).
  4. Not (a); not properly, not really; not fully.
    • My mother's no fool.
    • Working nine to five every day is no life.
    • No geese have blue beaks.

Origin

Inherited from Middle English no, noo, na, a reduced form of none, noon, nan (“none, not any”) used before consonants (compare a to an), from Old English nān (“none, not any”), from Proto-West Germanic *nain, from Proto-Germanic *nainaz (“not any”, literally “not one”), equivalent to ne (“not”) + a. Piecewise doublet of none. Cognate with Scots nae (“no, not any, none”), Old Frisian nān, nēn ("no, not any, none"), Saterland Frisian naan, neen (“no, not any, none”), North Frisian nian (“no, not any, none”), Old Dutch nēn ("no, not any, none"; > Dutch neen (“no”)), Old Norse neinn (“no, not any, none”). Compare also Old Saxon nigēn ("not any"; > Low German nen), Old Dutch nehēn (Middle Dutch negheen/negeen, Dutch geen), West Frisian gjin, Old High German nihein (> German kein). More at no, one.

Derived

a closed mouth catches no flies a closed mouth gathers no feet a little bit of bread and no cheese all fur and no knickers all retch and no vomit be no match for certificate of no criminal conviction duck or no dinner have no right natheless no-account no-action letter Nobama nobbut no bigs no-brainer no-brow no brown in town no clue nocoiner no fall zone no-fault no-fi no fidelity

Noun Entry 5

  1. A negating expression; an answer that shows disagreement, denial, refusal, or disapproval.
    • Q: I'll answer any ten questions that call for a yes or a no. - 1994, Brannon Braga, Ronald D. Moore, “All Good Things...”, in Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 7, episodes 25-26, John de Lancie (actor):
  2. A vote not in favor, or opposing a proposition.
    • The workers voted on whether to strike, and there were thirty yeses and two nos.

Forms

noes nos

Synonyms

nah nope naw nay

Antonyms

aye yea yes

Noun alt of, alternative

  1. Alternative form of No.

Forms

nos

Related

quantifier

Particle

  1. Used to show disagreement, negation, denial, refusal, or prohibition.
    • No, you are mistaken.
    • No, you may not watch television now.
    • David, no!

    Synonyms: nay nope

    Antonyms: aye maybe yea yes affirmative ahuh ar arr ay da indeed indeedy ja mhm oui uh-huh ya yah yass yassuh yayuh yeah yeh yep

  2. Used to express sadness or disappointment.
    • We lost. / No!
  3. Used to express disbelief.
    • I got the job! / No! Really? That's fantastic!

    Synonyms: no way

  4. Used to show agreement with a negative question.
    • "Don’t you like milk?" "No." (i.e., "No, I don’t like milk.")

    Synonyms: nah nay nope

  5. Used together with an affirmative word or phrase to show agreement.
    • No, totally.
    • No, yeah, that's exactly right.
    • "Wow!" "Yeah, no, it was really awful!"

Synonyms

no I'm good ixnay nay nah naw nope negatory

Antonyms

yes

Hyponyms

absolutely not by no means God forbid hardly hell no I don't think so no siree Bob not in a million years not on your life not on your Nellie not on your nelly not likely no way no way Jose nuh-uh under no circumstances

Derived

nossuh yeah, no yes and no

Preposition

  1. Without.
    • Look Ma, no hands!
  2. Like.

Verb

  1. To say “no”.
    • She felt disquiet at these tales of Musa’s illicit activities. ‘Does your father know?’ / ‘My father always noes. He never yeses. Specially when he’s sick, then he noes all the time. I gotta get out. Can’t stick around...
    • “Heaven knows why a woman ‘Noes’!” / Clarrie nodded glumly. “And why she ‘Yesses’ in the end.” - 1994, Malcolm Ross, “Part Three: The New Woman”, in Kernow & Daughter, London: BCA, →ISBN, page 293:
    • There were days, entire years of his life, spent yessing and noing on the phone, picking up and hanging up and accomplishing nothing at all. - 2001, Nicholas Weinstock, “The Flowers”, in As Long As She Needs Me, New...
  2. To answer with “no”; to decline, reject.
    • Never accustom yourself to say ‘Yes,’—practise an emphatic and decisive enunciation of the far more dignified and important monosyllable, ‘No.’ […] Believe me, it is of the utmost importance (the advice is not of recent...
    • BUDGET DIRECTOR SMITH / The President yessed his report […] SENATOR McCARRAN / He noed the President’s report - 1940 March 17, “Back of the CAA Fight: Independence or Closer Executive Control of Aviation Agency”, in...
    • Yet in every such instance—and there are scores of them—the Justices can do nothing but impotently point toward future action after Yessing or Noing past action by men in a position to act. - 1955, Fred Rodell,...

Forms

noes noing noed