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| not [ not ] |
adverb |
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| Definition: |
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1. forming negatives: a negative adverb used to form structures indicating that something is to no degree or in no way the case or conveying the general notion "no." It is often used to express refusal, denial, or the negation of a statement just made.
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often contracted in spoken and informal written English to "n't"
)
 Don't you think you've done enough?
Not every household has a dishwasher.
There's nothing in my account, not one cent.
Not only was the meal expensive, the service was bad, too.
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2. sentence substitute: used as a sentence substitute when indicating denial, refusal or negation, in order to avoid repetition
"Won't you come with us?" "Certainly not."
I don't think I'll be late, at least I hope not.
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3. indicating opposite: tagged onto the end of a statement to indicate that the truth is the opposite of what has been stated
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humorous
)
You're really going to enjoy this - not!
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| [14th century. Contraction of nought] |
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not at all used as a polite way of acknowledging somebody's thanks
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not that used to introduce a clause that explicitly denies something that the listener might infer from a previous or subsequent statement
I'm actually seeing her tonight. Not that it's any of your business!
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