Note

/nəʊt/ name, noun, verb, slang

name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A symbol or annotation.
  • Grammar: note is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: annotation, bill, tone, accent.
  • Useful contrasts: coin, conceal, dossiers.
  • Usage evidence: The meeting ended on an optimistic note.

How to use "note"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "note" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "note" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "note" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "note" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "note" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "annotation" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "note", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A symbol or annotation. countable, uncountable

    "He noted the fact that the kidnapper had left a ransom note."

  2. 2
    That which is needed or necessary; business; duty; work. Ireland, Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal, uncountable, usually

    "And have thou that for thy note !"

  3. 3
    a characteristic emotional quality wordnet
  4. 4
    A symbol or annotation.; A mark or token by which a thing may be known; a visible sign; a character; a distinctive mark or feature; a characteristic quality. countable, uncountable

    "As therefore they that are of the Myſticall Body of Chriſt, haue thoſe inward Graces and Vertues, whereby they differ from all others which are not of the ſame Body ; againe, whoſoeuer appertaine to the Viſible Body of the Church, they haue alſo the notes of externall Profeſſion, whereby the World knoweth what they are."

  5. 5
    The giving of milk by a cow or sow; the period following calving or farrowing during which a cow or sow is at her most useful (i.e. gives milk); the milk given by a cow or sow during such a period. Ireland, Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal, uncountable, usually

    "The supply of horned cattle at this fair was great, but the business done was confined to fleshy barreners of feeding qualities and superior new-calved heifers, and those at early note, with appearance of being useful; [...]"

Show 29 more definitions
  1. 6
    a brief written record wordnet
  2. 7
    A symbol or annotation.; A mark, or sign, made to call attention, to point out something to notice, or the like; a sign, or token, proving or giving evidence. countable, uncountable
  3. 8
    a short personal letter wordnet
  4. 9
    A symbol or annotation.; A brief remark; a marginal comment or explanation; hence, an annotation on a text or author; a comment; a critical, explanatory, or illustrative observation. countable, uncountable
  5. 10
    a comment or instruction (usually added) wordnet
  6. 11
    A written or printed communication or commitment.; A brief piece of writing intended to assist the memory; a memorandum; a minute. countable, uncountable

    "I left him a note to remind him to take out the trash."

  7. 12
    a notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical sound wordnet
  8. 13
    A written or printed communication or commitment.; A short informal letter; a billet. countable, uncountable

    "Garson: Drop me a note sometime. I'd love to hear how we're doing."

  9. 14
    a tone of voice that shows what the speaker is feeling wordnet
  10. 15
    A written or printed communication or commitment.; An academic treatise (often without regard to length); a treatment; a discussion paper; (loosely) any contribution to an academic discourse. countable, literary, uncountable
  11. 16
    a piece of paper money (especially one issued by a central bank) wordnet
  12. 17
    A written or printed communication or commitment.; A diplomatic missive or written communication. countable, uncountable
  13. 18
    a promise to pay a specified amount on demand or at a certain time wordnet
  14. 19
    A written or printed communication or commitment.; A written or printed paper (or digital equivalent) acknowledging a debt, and promising payment. countable, uncountable

    "Near-synonyms: draft, bond, paper, commercial paper, IOU, letter of credit"

  15. 20
    high status importance owing to marked superiority wordnet
  16. 21
    A written or printed communication or commitment.; A list of items or of charges; an account. countable, obsolete, uncountable

    "Heere is now the Smithes note, for Shooing, / And Plough-Irons."

  17. 22
    A written or printed communication or commitment.; A piece of paper or polymer money; a banknote. countable, uncountable

    "I didn't have any coins to pay with, so I used a note."

  18. 23
    A written or printed communication or commitment.; A small size of paper used for writing letters or notes. countable, uncountable
  19. 24
    A sound.; A character, variously formed, to indicate the length of a tone, and variously placed upon the staff to indicate its pitch. countable, uncountable
  20. 25
    A sound.; A musical sound; a tone; an utterance; a tune; a beat of a drum. countable, uncountable

    "Then feed on thoughts, that voluntarie move / Harmonious numbers ; as the wakeful Bird / Sings darkling, and in ſhadieſt Covert hid / Tunes her nocturnal Note."

  21. 26
    A sound.; A key of the piano or organ. broadly, countable, uncountable
  22. 27
    A sound.; A call or song of a bird. broadly, countable, uncountable

    "We heard the peculiar note of the woodcock, which resembles the repeated croaking of the frog, followed by a sharp hissing sound, somewhat like the noisy chirping of the wagtail[.]"

  23. 28
    A sound.; An indication which players have to click, type, hit, tap or do other actions if it appears countable, uncountable
  24. 29
    An element of a scent, fragrance, or perfume, especially as a descriptor or category. countable, uncountable
  25. 30
    Observation; notice; heed. uncountable

    "Go in Nerriſſa, / Giue order to my ſeruants, that they take / No note at all of our being abſent hence, / Nor you Lorenzo, Ieſſica nor you."

  26. 31
    Reputation; distinction. uncountable

    "a poet of note"

  27. 32
    A critical comment. countable, uncountable

    "Your performance was fantastic! I have just one note: you were a little flat in bars 35 and 36."

  28. 33
    Notification; information; intelligence. countable, obsolete, uncountable
  29. 34
    Mark of disgrace. countable, obsolete, uncountable

    "That my poſteritie ſham’d with the note / Shall curſe my bones, and hold it for no ſinne, / To wiſh that I their father had not beene."

Verb
  1. 1
    To notice with care; to observe; to remark; to heed. transitive

    "If you look to the left, you can note the old cathedral."

  2. 2
    make mention of wordnet
  3. 3
    To record in writing; to make a memorandum of. transitive

    "We noted his speech."

  4. 4
    make a written note of wordnet
  5. 5
    To denote; to designate. transitive

    "The modular multiplicative inverse of x may be noted x⁻¹."

Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    notice or perceive wordnet
  2. 7
    To annotate. transitive
  3. 8
    observe with care or pay close attention to wordnet
  4. 9
    To set down in musical characters. transitive
  5. 10
    To record on the back of (a bill, draft, etc.) a refusal of acceptance, as the ground of a protest, which is done officially by a notary. transitive

    "By noting the protest, notaries could date certificates when they were received, making it easier to comply with time restrictions associated with protesting."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    The St. Louis Blues hockey team. informal

Synonyms

All synonyms
annotationbilltoneaccentacceptanceacceptance bill

Example

"The meeting ended on an optimistic note."

Common questions

What does "note" mean?

A symbol or annotation.

What is a synonym for "note"?

Common synonyms include: annotation, bill, tone, accent, acceptance, acceptance bill.

How do you use "note" in a sentence?

The meeting ended on an optimistic note.

How do you pronounce "note"?

Pronounced /nəʊt/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English note, from Old English not, nōt (“note, mark, sign”) and Old French note (“letter, note”), both from Latin nota (“mark, sign, remark, note”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English note (“use, usefulness, profit”), from Old English notu (“use, enjoyment, advantage, profit, utility”), from Proto-West Germanic *notu, from Proto-Germanic *nutō (“enjoyment, utilisation”), from Proto-Indo-European *newd- (“to acquire, make use of”). Cognate with West Frisian not (“yield, produce, crop”), Dutch genot (“enjoyment, pleasure”), Dutch nut (“usefulness, utility, behoof”), German Nutzen (“benefit, usefulness, utility”), Icelandic not (“use”, noun). Related also to Old English notian (“to enjoy, make use of, employ”), Old English nēotan (“to use, enjoy”), Old High German niozan (“to use, enjoy”) (Modern German genießen (“to enjoy”)), Modern German benutzen (“to use”). Related to nait.

More for "note"

Synonyms

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