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cannot

  • verb
  • can·not
  • /ˈkænɒt/

Can not; be unable to (whether due to physical inability, logical impossibility, etc.).

Example

“I cannot open the window. It is stuck.”

Other meanings

  1. Be forbidden or not permitted to.

Example sentences

  • “This is the part I cannot believe.”

    Tatoeba · AmarMecheri · CC0

  • “Words express what cannot be said in music.”

    Tatoeba · shekitten · CC0

  • “You possess a grace that cannot be taught.”

    Tatoeba · Igider · CC0

Word history

From Middle English "can not,cannot,cannouȝt".

Where this comes from

This definition is adapted from “cannot” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.