- used to give a negative reply or statement
- Just say yes or no.
- ‘Are you ready?’ ‘No, I'm not.’
- Sorry, the answer's no.
- ‘Another drink?’ ‘No, thanks.’
- It's about 70—no, I'm wrong—80 kilometres from Rome.
- No! Don't touch it! It's hot.
- ‘It was Tony.’ ‘No, you're wrong. It was Ted.’
- ‘It's not very good, is it?’ ‘No, you're right, it isn't (= I agree).’
- used to express shock or surprise at what somebody has said
- ‘She's had an accident.’ ‘Oh no!’
- ‘I'm leaving!’ ‘No!’
Word OriginOld English nō, nā (adverb), from ne ‘not’ + ō, ā ‘ever’. The determiner arose in Middle English (originally before words beginning with any consonant except h-), reduced from non, from Old English nān, from ne ‘not’ + ān ‘one’, of Germanic origin.
Idioms
See no in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarynot take no for an answer
- to refuse to accept that somebody does not want something, will not do something, etc.
- You're coming and I won't take no for an answer!
yes and no
- used when you cannot give a clear answer to a question
- ‘Are you enjoying it?’ ‘Yes and no.’
Check pronunciation:
no