cannotmodal verb
uk/ˈkæn.ɒt/us/ˈkæn.ɑːt/A1 the negative form of the verb "can":
I cannot predict what will happen next year.
cannot but formal
used to say that something will certainly happen:
If we persevere, we cannot but succeed.
More examples
- The government cannot be seen to give in to terrorists' demands.
- It feels terrible when your child is ill and you cannot help them.
- Obviously the school cannot function without teachers.
- These plants cannot survive in very cold conditions.
- Some sounds cannot be detected by the human ear.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Forbidding and banning things
- abolish
- abolitionist
- ban
- bar
- blacklist
- clean
- curfew
- debar
- deny
- disallow
- disqualify
- forbid
- nix
- out of bounds idiom
- outlaw
- prohibit
- prohibition
- proscribe
- unauthorized
- veto
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Certainty