cannot
/ˈkænɒt/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: 5.11 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Something that cannot be done.
Example Sentences
- "I cannot open the window. It is stuck."
- "The butler cannot be the murderer, he cannot have killed her, because he was in another city at the time."
- "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."
- "The US supreme court has ruled unanimously that natural human genes cannot be patented, a decision that scientists and civil rights campaigners said removed a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation."
- "“If China seeks to disrupt the global order, then China cannot continue to be party to international organizations that seek to preserve that order,” Republican Representative Frank Lucas, the House bill’s sponsor, posted on X."
- "You cannot enter the hall without a ticket."
Etymology
From Middle English can not, cannot, cannouȝt, etc. (compare Old English ne cann), equivalent to can + not.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: can not,cannot,cannouȝt
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /ˈkænɒt/