Definitions For Cannot

Noun

CANNOT (plural CANNOTs) Something that cannot be done. : the cans and cannots

Verb

can#verb, can not (be unable to). : {{ux, en, I cannot open the window. It is stuck.}} Be forbidden or not permitted to : {{ux, en, You cannot enter the hall without a ticket.}}

Usage notes

Both the one-word form cannot and the two-word form can not are acceptable, but cannot is more common (in the w:oxford english corpus, oxford english corpus, three times as common). The two-word form is better only in a construction in which not is part of a set phrase, such as 'not only... but (also)': Paul can not only sing well, but also paint brilliantly.

Synonyms

can't

Translations

{{trans-top-also, cannot, can, not}} American Sign Language: 1@NearSternumhigh-PalmForward-1@Chesthigh-TipAcross FastContact 1@FromBackFinger-PalmDown-1@Chesthigh-TipAcross Arabic: عَجَزَ Bulgarian: не може, sc=Cyrl Chinese: : Mandarin: 不會, sc=Hani, 不会, tr=bù huì, sc=Hani, 不要, tr=bù yào, sc=Hani, 不能, tr=bù néng, sc=Hani, 不行, tr=bù xíng, sc=Hani, {{qualifier, negative verb complements used}} e.g.: 不了, alt=...不了, tr=...bùliǎo, sc=Hani Czech: nemoct Danish: kan ikke Dutch: niet kunnen Finnish: ei osata, osaa, ei voida, voi French: ne pas pouvoir German: nicht können Italian: non potere Japanese: できない, alt=...できない (...dekinai) {{qualifier, unable}}; 駄目, alt=...駄目である, tr=...だめである, ...dame dearu, ならない, alt=...してはならない (...shite-wa naranai), いけない, alt=...してはいけない (...shite-wa ikenai) {{qualifier, not allowed}}; {{qualifier, potential negative forms used}} e.g.: {{l, ja, 読む, 読めない, tr=yomenai}},　 {{l, ja, 食べる, 食べられない, tr=taberarenai}} / {{l, ja, 食べる, 食べれない, tr=taberenai}} Khmer: មិនអាច (mɨn aac, sc=Khmr) Korean: 못, ...수 없다, 못하다 Latin: non posse, nescio, nequeo, {{qualifier, more a pronome in indirect object}} prohibetur, {{qualifier, more a pronome in indirect object)}} interdicitur, {{qualifier, more a pronome in indirect object)}} vetatur, {{qualifier, more a pronome in indirect object}} non licet Latvian: nevar, nespēj Norwegian: : Bokmål: kan ikke Old Turkic: 𐰆𐰢𐰀 (uma-) Pitcairn-Norfolk: kaa Polish: nie móc Portuguese: não pode Russian: не мо́чь (e.g. я не мочь, могу - I can't), нельзя́ {{qualifier, not allowed}} Slovak: nemôcť, nebyť schopný, nedokázať Spanish: no poder Thai: ...ไม่ได้ (...mâi dâai), ...ไม่เป็น (...mâi bpen) Turkish: -ama, -eme Vietnamese: có thể không Welsh: methu, ffili