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The person is always happy who is in the presence of something they cannot know in full. A person as advanced far in the study of morals who has mastered the difference between pride and vanity.
Nicolas Chamfort

Meaning of "cannot" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF CANNOT

cannot  [ˈkænɒt] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF CANNOT

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Cannot is a verb.
The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

WHAT DOES CANNOT MEAN IN ENGLISH?

English modal verbs

The modal verbs of English are a small class of auxiliary verbs used mostly to express modality. They can be distinguished from other verbs by their defectiveness and by the fact that they do not take the ending -s in the third-person singular. The principal English modal verbs are can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will and would. Certain other verbs are sometimes, but not always, classed as modals; these include ought, had better, and dare and need. Verbs which share some but not all of the characteristics of the principal modals are sometimes called "semimodals".

Definition of cannot in the English dictionary

The definition of cannot in the dictionary is an auxiliary verb expressing incapacity, inability, withholding permission, etc; can not.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH CANNOT


Arbuthnot
ɑːˈbʌθnɒt
bowknot
ˈbəʊˌnɒt
interknot
ˌɪntəˈnɒt
knot
nɒt
not
nɒt
reknot
riːˈnɒt
slipknot
ˈslɪpˌnɒt
snot
snɒt
topknot
ˈtɒpˌnɒt
unknot
ʌnˈnɒt
whatnot
ˈwɒtˌnɒt
witchknot
ˈwɪtʃˌnɒt

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE CANNOT

cannoli
cannon
cannon bone
cannon fodder
cannon-shot
cannonade
cannonball
cannonball serve
cannoneer
cannonries
cannonry
cannot choose but
cannot help but
cannula
cannulae
cannular
cannulate
cannulation
canny

WORDS THAT END LIKE CANNOT

as likely as not
as often as not
butterfly knot
Carnot
donnot
double knot
forget-me-not
French knot
Gordian knot
have-not
Huguenot
love knot
more often than not
nothing if not
Pinot
reef knot
square knot
tie the knot
touch-me-not
Windsor knot

Synonyms and antonyms of cannot in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «cannot» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF CANNOT

Find out the translation of cannot to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of cannot from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «cannot» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

不能
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

no puede
570 millions of speakers

English

cannot
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

नहीं कर सकते
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

لا يمكن
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

не могу
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

não pode
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

না পারেন
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

ne peut pas
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Tidak boleh
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

kann nicht
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

できない
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

할 수 없습니다
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Ora bisa
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

không thể
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

முடியாது
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

करू शकत नाही
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

yapamam
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

non può
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

nie może
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

не можу
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

nu se poate
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

δεν μπορεί να
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

kan nie
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

kan inte
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

kan ikke
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of cannot

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «CANNOT»

The term «cannot» is very widely used and occupies the 1.652 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
98
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «cannot» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of cannot
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «cannot».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «CANNOT» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «cannot» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «cannot» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about cannot

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «CANNOT»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word cannot.
1
Aeschylus
He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.
2
Peter Akinola
The Bible says that two cannot walk together unless they are agreed.
3
Maya Angelou
History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.
4
Charles Babbage
In England, the profession of the law is that which seems to hold out the strongest attraction to talent, from the circumstance, that in it ability, coupled with exertion, even though unaided by patronage, cannot fail of obtaining reward.
5
Kabir Bedi
Every relationship comes with a shelf life; that duration could be a minute or even a lifetime. If, for whatever reasons, a relationship cannot last a lifetime, contrary to what the two people imagined, then both the individuals have to be communicative and have to understand and accept the reality.
6
Rand Beers
Sir, I see a lot of documents in my day-to-day business, and I can't tell you every document that I've seen. It may have passed across my desk. It may not have passed across my desk. I truthfully cannot answer that question, other than to say I don't remember.
7
Yehuda Berg
Change is inevitable. Things absolutely cannot stay the same. The type of change we invoke is up to each and every one of us.
8
Fanny Burney
I cannot sleep - great joy is as restless as great sorrow.
9
Carmen Busquets
I look for individuality in the artisans I work with for CoutureLab; a loving relationship with the product and care in the construction, along with the story behind it, make couture desirable to consumers looking for something that cannot be mass-produced.
10
Nicolas Chamfort
The person is always happy who is in the presence of something they cannot know in full. A person as advanced far in the study of morals who has mastered the difference between pride and vanity.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «CANNOT»

Discover the use of cannot in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to cannot and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Why Art Cannot be Taught: A Handbook for Art Students
In this smart survival guide for students and teachers--the only book of its kind--James Elkins examines the ""curious endeavor to teach the unteachable"" that is generally known as college-level art instruction.
James Elkins, 2001
2
All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel
Ten years in the writing, All the Light We Cannot See is a magnificent, deeply moving novel from a writer “whose sentences never fail to thrill” (Los Angeles Times).
Anthony Doerr, 2014
3
A Power Governments Cannot Suppress
A Power Governments Cannot Suppress\ea\es us with the faith that citizens have what it takes to confront power and to reverse the dangerous and unjust acts of our government." —JONATHAN KOZOL, author of The Shame of the Nation: The  ...
Howard Zinn, 2013
4
Production of Presence: What Meaning Cannot Convey
This book offers a personalized account of some of the central theoretical movements in literary studies and in the humanities over the past thirty years, together with an equally personal view of a possible future.
Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, 2004
5
Profiles in Injustice: Why Racial Profiling Cannot Work
Explains the origins and justifications for using racial profiles in police investigation, and argues that not only does the policy have serious social side effects, but statistics suggest that it is ineffective.
David A. Harris, 2003
6
The Five Things We Cannot Change: And the Happiness We Find ...
In this provocative and inspiring book, David Richo distills thirty years of experience as a therapist to explain the underlying roots of unhappiness—and the surprising secret to finding freedom and fulfillment.
David Richo, 2005
7
Of What One Cannot Speak: Doris Salcedo's Political Art
Yet Bal draws out even deeper responses to the work, questioning the nature of political art altogether and introducing concepts of metaphor, time, and space in order to contend with Salcedo’s powerful sculptures and installations.
Mieke Bal, 2010
8
Man Cannot Speak for Her: A critical study of early feminist ...
"The right to cast a ballot from a feminine hand occupied the attention and efforts of hundreds of women for more than a century in the U.S. In these two volumes Campbell (University of Minnesota) provides a basic understanding of two ...
Karlyn Kohrs Campbell, 1989
9
You Cannot Be Serious
More information to be announced soon on this forthcoming title from Penguin USA
John McEnroe, James Kaplan, 2002
10
The Things They Cannot Say: Stories Soldiers Won't Tell You ...
In The Things They Cannot Say, award-winning journalist and author Kevin Sites asks these difficult questions of eleven soldiers and marines, who—by sharing the truth about their wars—display a rare courage that transcends battlefield ...
Kevin Sites, 2013

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «CANNOT»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term cannot is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Greece news live: EU's Dombrovskis says 'Grexit cannot be …
"France is convinced that we cannot run the risk of a Greek exit from the eurozone, both for economic reasons but above all for political reasons ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Jul 15»
2
Nick Kyrgios's pantomime Wimbledon antics cannot disguise a rare …
Nick Kyrgios's Wimbledon run came to an end when he was defeated in the fourth round by Richard Gasquet on Monday. Photograph: Ella ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»
3
"Democracy Cannot Be Blackmailed": Greek Voters Overwhelmingly …
Costas Panayotakis, author of Remaking Scarcity: From Capitalist Inefficiency to Economic Democracy. He is professor of sociology at NYC ... «Democracy Now!, Jul 15»
4
Stem cell donor found for Burlington teen but transplant cannot
The good news was followed by the disturbing revelation that doctors cannot proceed with the transplant because of a lack of transplant beds ... «InsideHalton.com, Jul 15»
5
Arda Turan cannot play for Barcelona until January... but when he …
Spending £29million on a midfielder who cannot play for you until January, when he turns 29, is no joke, even in world football's modern market ... «Daily Mail, Jul 15»
6
Grexit cannot be excluded if no reforms: EU's Valdis Dombrovskis
"It is not our aim but if trust is not rebuilt; if (there is) no credible reform package (then) it cannot be excluded," Dombrovskis said when asked if ... «Economic Times, Jul 15»
7
Reform Jews cannot be called Jews, says Israel's religious services …
Religious Services Minister David Azoulay (Shas) angered Reform Jews on Tuesday morning, by saying that they cannot be considered ... «Haaretz, Jul 15»
8
High Court: Netanyahu is prime minister - he can't be a minister too
Justice Hanan Melcer said: “The prime minister cannot be a minister at all. ... why Litzman does not want to – or cannot – serve as minister. «Haaretz, Jul 15»
9
'Sealing off Europe cannot be the right policy'
... almost cannot do anything other than to accept additional refugees, ... shows clearly that we cannot or do not want to fully participate here. «swissinfo.ch, Jul 15»
10
Greece crisis: 'I cannot hide that I'm nervous,' new Greek fin min …
Pensioners wait outside a branch of the National Bank to receive part of their pension in Open Gallery 32 Pensioners wait outside a branch of ... «Irish Independent, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Cannot [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/cannot>. May 2024 ».
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