no
1 of 6
adverb
1 achiefly Scotland : not b
—used as a function word to express the negative of an alternative choice or possibilityshall we go out to dinner or no 2 : in no respect or degree
—used in comparisonsyou're no better than the rest of us 3 : not so
—used to express negation, dissent, denial, or refusalno, I'm not going 4
—used with a following adjective to imply a meaning expressed by the opposite positive statementin no uncertain terms 5
—used as a function word to emphasize a following negative or to introduce a more emphatic, explicit, or comprehensive statementit's big, no, it's gigantic 6
—used as an interjection to express surprise, doubt, or incredulity 7
—used in combination with a verb to form a compound adjectiveno-bake pie 8 : in negationshook his head no
no 2 of 6
adjective
1
a: not anyno parking
no disputing the decision
b: hardly any : very littlefinished in no time
2
: not a : quite other than ahe's no expert
3
—used in combination with a noun to form a compound adjectivea no-nonsense realist
no 3 of 6
noun
pluralnoes or nos ˈnōz
1 : an act or instance of refusing or denying by the use of the word no : denialreceived a firm no in reply 2 a: a negative vote or decision bnoes or nos plural : persons voting in the negative
no 4 of 6
abbreviation
1
north; northern
2
[Latin numero, ablative of numerus] number
No 5 of 6
less common spelling of noh
No 6 of 6
symbol
nobelium
Synonyms
Adverb
Noun
Examples of no in a Sentence
AdverbShe shook her head no.<span class="d-block thread-anchor-content pb-1" <this="" cake="" is ="">em class="mw_t_it">no better than the last one we made</span>Adjective
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback. Adverb <span class="t has-aq" <the="" $170="" million="" tracers="" is="" set="" to="" launch <em="">no earlier than the end of July on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will be carrying several other small missions into orbit at the same time.>span class="aq has-aq">—</span>
<span class="t has-aq" <the="" bill="" advanced="" by="" the="" house="" ways="" and="" means="" committee="" last="" week="" also="" includes="" a <em="">no tax on tips provision.>span class="aq has-aq">—</span>
While Littleton has tabled its rezoning ordinance indefinitely, that doesn’t mean residents are a hard no for any type of effort to bolster density in the city.—
Word History
Etymology
Adverb
Middle English, from Old English nā, from ne not + ā always; akin to Old Norse & Old High German ne not, Latin ne-, Greek nē- — more at aye
First Known Use
Adverb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of no was before the 12th centurySee more words from the same century
Phrases Containing no
- all mouth (and no trousers/action)
- all talk and no action
- almost no
- and no mistake
- at no
- at no charge
- at no cost
- at no time
- bear no relation to
- be no respecter of persons
- by any/no stretch of the imagination
- by no means
Rhymes for no
Browse Nearby Words
no
No
adjective
