no
noun · adverb · verb
Simple meaning
A negating expression.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
nohIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈnoʊ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A negating expression; an answer that shows disagreement, denial, refusal, or disapproval.
“His no was loud and clear.”
A vote not in favor, or opposing a proposition.
A kind of classical Japanese musical drama.
adverb
with following adjective
Not, not at all.
Used before different, before comparatives with more and less, and idiomatically before other comparatives.
Not in any degree or manner; not at all
colloquialusually humorous
Not, does not, do not, etc.
informal
Used idiomatically before certain other adjectives.
verb
transitivecolloquial
To answer with "no"; to decline, reject.
intransitivecolloquial
To say "no".
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A negating expression; an answer that shows disagreement, denial, refusal, or disapproval.
Used this way, no is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“His no was loud and clear.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use no
- “He was no heavier than a child.”adverb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Antonyms
Sense: negating expression
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.