cannot

[kan-ot, ka-not, kuh-] /ˈkæn ɒt, kæˈnɒt, kə-/
verb
1.
a form of ·can not.
Idioms
2.
cannot but, have no alternative but to:
We cannot but choose otherwise.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English
Usage note
Cannot is sometimes also spelled can not. The one-word spelling is by far the more common: Interest rates simply cannot continue at their present level. The contraction can't is most common in speech and informal writing. See also can1.
Examples from the web for cannot
  • Germans have learned after decades of fighting their expression that the ideas behind them cannot be outlawed.
  • Student life needs certain autonomy and cannot be organized educationally as strictly accountable activities.
  • So they can consume many of the long-lived radioactive materials that thermal reactors cannot.
  • Though they cannot fly, ostriches are fleet, strong runners.
  • As the world warms up, some species cannot move to cooler climes in time to survive.
  • You've become at an expert at identifying what plastics you can and cannot recycle.
  • Seeds cannot germinate until certain favorable environmental conditions are met.
  • The blimp cannot fly where there is risk of snow and has difficulty transiting over mountains.
  • Cholera outbreaks seem to be on the increase, but a new study has found they cannot be explained by global warming.
  • Today you cannot order a coffee, buy a bagel, or pay for a photocopy without being asked to leave your change behind for.
British Dictionary definitions for cannot

cannot

/ˈkænɒt; kæˈnɒt/
verb
1.
an auxiliary verb expressing incapacity, inability, withholding permission, etc; can not
Word Origin and History for cannot
v.

c.1400, from can (v.1) + not. Old English expressed the notion by ne cunnan.

Idioms and Phrases with cannot

cannot

see under can't