# cannot

Pronunciation: say "KA-not" US /ˈkæ(n.)nɑt/, UK /ˈkænɒt/

## Verb

1. To be unable to do something; the negative form of can, placed before the base form of another verb.
   - Simple: Used before another verb to say that someone is not able to do something.
   - _He cannot remember where he parked the car._
   - _The committee cannot reach a decision without more data._
2. To be forbidden or not permitted to do something, often because of a rule, law, or authority.
   - Simple: Used to say that someone is not allowed to do something.
   - _Visitors cannot enter the lab without a security badge._
   - _Under the new policy, employees cannot accept gifts from vendors._
3. Used when the speaker feels certain that something is untrue, impossible, or did not happen.
   - Simple: Used to say you are sure something is false, impossible, or did not happen.
   - _These sales figures cannot be right; the store never sells that many shirts in one day._
   - _She cannot have seen my email yet, or she would have answered by now._

## Other meanings

- (noun) Something that is impossible to do or that lies beyond what a person is able to do.
- (noun) A person who is unable to do a particular thing.

## Origin

Formed from the combination of "can" and "not".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cannot (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).