Link Centre Dictionary

no

UK/nəʊ/ US/no/ very common informal
adjective (1) adverb (3) noun (2)

adjective

1.

quantifier; used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns for indicating a complete or almost complete lack or zero quantity of

  • “we have no bananas”
  • “no eggs left and no money to buy any”
  • “have you no decency?”
  • “did it with no help”
  • “I”
Antonyms
Similar

adverb

1.

referring to the degree to which a certain quality is present

  • “he was no heavier than a child”
Synonyms
2.

not in any degree or manner; not at all

  • “he is no better today”
3.

used to express refusal or denial or disagreement etc or especially to emphasize a negative statement

  • “no, you are wrong”

noun

1.

a negative

  • “his no was loud and clear”
Antonyms
2.

a radioactive transuranic element synthesized by bombarding curium with carbon ions; 7 isotopes are known

Synonyms

Origin

Inherited from Middle English no, noo, na, a reduced form of none, noon, nan (“none, not any”) used before consonants (compare a to an), from Old English nān (“none, not any”), from Proto-West Germanic *nain, from Proto-Germanic *nainaz (“not any”, literally “not one”), equivalent to ne (“not”) + a. Piecewise doublet of none. Cognate with Scots nae (“no, not any, none”), Old Frisian nān, nēn ("no, not any, none"; > Saterland Frisian naan, neen (“no, not any, none”), North Frisian nian (“no, not any, none”)), Old Dutch nēn ("no, not any, none"; > Dutch neen (“no”)), Old Norse neinn (“no, not any, none”). Compare also Old Saxon nigēn ("not any"; > Low German nen), Old Dutch nehēn (Middle Dutch negheen/negeen, Dutch geen), West Frisian gjin, Old High German nihein (> German kein). More at no, one.

Phrases

  • a closed mouth catches no flies
  • a closed mouth gathers no feet
  • a little bit of bread and no cheese
  • all fur and no knickers
  • all retch and no vomit
  • be no match for
  • certificate of no criminal conviction
  • duck or no dinner
  • yeah, no
  • yes and no

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.