can't even
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]An aposiopesis of "(I) can't even believe it", "can't even process it" or some comparable expression.
Pronunciation
[edit]- IPA(key): /ˈkænt ˌiːvən/, /ˈkɑːnt ˌiːvən/
Audio (General Australian): (file)
Verb
[edit]can't even (third-person singular simple present can't even, no present participle, simple past couldn't even, no past participle)
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see can’t, even.
- He’s nine years old, and can’t even tie his own shoelaces!
- (slang) Without a following verb, as an expression of aporia: to be unable to express one's feelings about an overwhelming situation.
- Oh my God, I got cheap tickets to the Beyoncé concert! I can’t even!
See also
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- “I can’t even”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.