Cannot

//ˈkæ(n.)nɑt// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
Something that cannot be done.
"the cans and cannots"
2
A person who cannot do (something).

Verb

1
Can not; be unable to (whether due to physical inability, logical impossibility, etc).
"I cannot open the window. It is stuck."
2
Be forbidden or not permitted to
"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."

Synonyms

can't can't can’t

Antonyms

able could may be able to

Example

"What do you believe is true even though you cannot prove it?"

Etymology

From can + not.

More for "cannot"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.