ain't
/eɪnt
/informal Usage
contraction
1Am not; are not; is not: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it...
- In ‘The Kid,’ the poet unveils the hidden core beneath a comfortable mask, telling about how the subject talks candidly about his father ‘sometimes when we ain't talking about baseball.’
- We aint tryin to be something were not.
- We ain't running from nothing. We ain't worried about nothing.
First representing London dialect
1.1Has not; have not: they ain’t got nothing to say...
- Baseball's origins ain't found till they're found.
- He ain't won a fight in years.
- Well, he's a man who loves being on the hills and what he ain't climbed ain't worth climbing.
From dialect hain't
Usage
The use of ain’t was widespread in the 18th century, typically as a contraction for am not. It is still perfectly normal in many dialects and informal speech in both Britain and North America. Today, however, it does not form part of standard English and should never be used in formal or written contexts. See also are n’t (usage).
Rhymes
- set someone down
- set someone off
- set someone's teeth on edge
- set someone/thing back
- set someone/thing on (or upon)
- set someone up
- set something against
- set something apart
- set something aside
- set something by
- set something down
- set something forth
- set something in
- set something off
- set something off against
- set something on fire
- set something on foot
- set something out
- set something up
- set square
- Setswana
- sett
- settee
- setter
- set the agenda