Home › Words › C › cannotcannot/ˈkænɒt/cannot means something that cannot be done.cannot is pronounced /ˈkænɒt/.EtymologyFrom Middle English can not, cannot, cannouȝt, etc. (compare Old English ne cann), equivalent to can + not.nounSomething that cannot be done.e.g.“the cans and cannots”A person who cannot do (something).verbCan not; be unable to (whether due to physical inability, logical impossibility, etc.).e.g.“I cannot open the window. It is stuck.”Be forbidden or not permitted to.Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.undoable 65% match — Not doable; impossible to do. vs cannot →impossibility 64% match — Something that is impossible. vs cannot →incapable 62% match — Not capable (of doing something); unable. vs cannot →unperformably 61% match — Such that it cannot be performed. vs cannot →undoability 59% match — Ability to be undone. vs cannot →unundoable 58% match — Not undoable; unable to be undone. vs cannot →inable 58% match — Unable, not able. vs cannot →nonundoable 58% match — Not undoable; impossible to undo. vs cannot →