😲 Strong refusal 🚫 Not able 🙅 Inability

cannot

1.0

To not be able to do something

auxiliary
/ˈkænɒt/

: no poder

You cannot enter the building without a security badge.

Examples

You cannot finish your project without proper guidance.
She cannot swim, so she stayed on the shore during the trip.
I cannot believe how quickly the year has passed.
I cannot swim.
She cannot believe it!
He cannot lift the heavy box on his own.
They cannot attend the meeting because of a scheduling conflict.

Antonyms

can

1.0

To be able to do something or for something to be possible

Surface Forms

cannot infinitive

can not infinitive

cannot third person singular

could not past

Morphology

cannot = can + not (transparent) = can + not

Formed directly from the auxiliary 'can' plus the negative particle 'not'; learners who know 'can' and 'not' can readily derive the negative meaning.

Etymology

Cannot is simply can + not, where can means 'be able' and not means 'not' or 'no'. So cannot means 'not able to do something'.