cannot

English

Etymology

can +‎ not

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈkænɒt/, X-SAMPA: /"k{nQt/
• (US) IPA: /ˈkæ(n.)nɑt/, /ˈkɛ(n.)nɑt/, /kə(n)ˈnɑt/, /kɪ(n)ˈnɑt/, X-SAMPA: /"k{nAt/, /k@"nAt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: can‧not
• Rhymes: -ɒt

Verb

cannot

1. Can not ( = am/is/are unable to).

   I cannot open the window. It is stuck.

2. Am/are/is forbidden or not permitted to

   You cannot enter the hall without a ticket.

   • 1668 December 19, James Dalrymple, “Mr. Alexander Seaton contra Menzies” in The Deciſions of the Lords of Council & Seſſion I (Edinburgh, 1683), page 575

     The Pupil after his Pupillarity, had granted a Diſcharge to one of the Co-tutors, which did extinguiſh the whole Debt of that Co-tutor, and conſequently of all the reſt, they being all correi debendi, lyable by one individual Obligation, which cannot be Diſcharged as to one, and ſtand as to all the reſt.

Usage notes

Both the one-word form cannot and the two-word form can not are acceptable, but cannot is more common (in the Oxford English Corpus, three times as common). The two-word form is better only in a construction in which not is part of a set phrase, such as 'not only… but (also)': Paul can not only sing well, but he also paints brilliantly.

Synonyms

• can't

Translations

For other translations, see can and not.

cannot

• American Sign Language: 1@NearSternumhigh-PalmForward-1@Chesthigh-TipAcross FastContact 1@FromBackFinger-PalmDown-1@Chesthigh-TipAcross
• Bulgarian: не може (bg) (može)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 不會 (cmn), 不会 (cmn) (bù huì), 不要 (cmn) (bù yào), 不能 (cmn) (bù néng), 不行 (cmn) (bù xíng), (negative verb complements used) e.g.: ...不了 (cmn) (...bùliǎo)

• Dutch: niet kunnen (nl)
• Finnish: ei osaa, ei voi
• French: ne pas pouvoir (fr)
• German: ‎nicht können
• Japanese: ...できない (ja) (...dekinai) (unable); ...駄目である (ja) (...だめである, ...dame dearu), ...してはならない (ja) (...shite-wa naranai), ...してはいけない (ja) (...shite-wa ikenai) (not allowed); (potential negative forms used) e.g.: 読めない (yomenai),　 食べられない (taberarenai) / 食べれない (taberenai)

• Korean: 못 (ko) (mot), ...수 없다 (ko) (...su eopda)
• Latin: non posse (la), nescio (la), nequeo (la), (more a pronome in indirect object) prohibetur (la), (more a pronome in indirect object)) interdicitur (la), (more a pronome in indirect object)) vetatur (la), (more a pronome in indirect object) non licet (la)
• Norwegian: ikke kunne (no)
• Pitcairn-Norfolk: kaa
• Russian: не мочь (ru) (močʹ) (ne móčʹ) (e.g. я не могу - I can't), нельзя (ru) (nelʹzjá) (not allowed)
• Spanish: ‎no poder
• Thai: ...ไม่ไม่ (... mâi dâai), ...ไม่เป็น (... mâi bpen)
• Vietnamese: có thể không (vi)

Statistics

• Most common English words before 1923: course · side · small · #223: cannot · father · nor · moment

Anagrams

• Canton, canton, noncat

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Jèrriais

Noun

cannot m (plural cannots)

1. duckling