1. adj.1 not any (there is no excuse; no circumstances could justify it; no two of them are alike).
2 not a, quite other than (is no fool; is no part of my plan; caused no slight inconvenience).
3 hardly any (is no distance; did it in no time).
4 used elliptically as a slogan, notice, etc., to forbid, reject, or deplore the thing specified (no parking; no surrender).
Phrases and idioms:
by no means see MEANS. no-account unimportant, worthless. no-ball Cricket n. an unlawfully delivered ball (counting one to the batting side if not otherwise scored from).
--v.tr. pronounce (a bowler) to have bowled a no-ball. no-claim (or -claims) bonus a reduction of the insurance premium charged when the insured has not made a claim under the insurance during an agreed preceding period. no date (of a book etc.) not bearing a date of publication etc. no dice see DICE. no doubt see DOUBT. no end see END. no entry (of a notice) prohibiting vehicles or persons from entering a road or place. no-fault US (of insurance) valid regardless of the allocation of blame for an accident etc. no fear see FEAR. no-frills lacking ornament or embellishment. no go impossible, hopeless. no-go area an area forbidden to unauthorized people. no good see GOOD. no-good see GOOD. no-hitter US Baseball a game in which a team does not get a player to first base. no-hoper Austral. sl. a useless person. no joke see JOKE. no joy see JOY n. 3. no little see LITTLE. no man no person, nobody. no man's land 1 Mil. the space between two opposing armies.
2 an area not assigned to any owner.
3 an area not clearly belonging to any one subject etc. no-no colloq. a thing not possible or acceptable. no-nonsense serious, without flippancy. no place US nowhere. no-show a person who has reserved a seat etc. but neither uses it nor cancels the reservation.
no side Rugby Football
1. the end of a game.
2 the referee's announcement of this. no small see SMALL. no sweat colloq. no bother, no trouble. no thoroughfare an indication that passage along a street, path, etc., is blocked or prohibited. no time see TIME. no trumps (or trump) Bridge a declaration or bid involving playing without a trump suit. no-trumper Bridge a hand on which a no-trump bid can suitably be, or has been, made.
no way colloq.
1. it is impossible.
2 I will not agree etc. no whit see WHIT. no-win of or designating a situation in which success is impossible. no wonder see WONDER. ... or no ... regardless of the ... (rain or no rain, I shall go out). there is no ...ing it is impossible to ... (there is no accounting for tastes; there was no mistaking what he meant).
Etymology: ME f. nan, non NONE(1), orig. only before consonants 2. adv. & n.
--adv.
1. equivalent to a negative sentence: the answer to your question is negative, your request or command will not be complied with, the statement made or course of action intended or conclusion arrived at is not correct or satisfactory, the negative statement made is correct.
2 (foll. by compar.) by no amount; not at all (no better than before).
3 Sc. not (will ye no come back again?).
--n. (pl. noes)
1. an utterance of the word no.
2 a denial or refusal.
3 a negative vote.
Phrases and idioms:
is no more has died or ceased to exist. no better than she should be morally suspect; sexually promiscuous. no can do colloq. I am unable to do it. the noes have it the negative voters are in the majority. no less (often foll. by than)
1. as much (gave me {pound}50, no less; gave me no less than {pound}50; is no less than a scandal; a no less fatal victory).
2 as important (no less a person than the President).
3 disp. no fewer (no less than ten people have told me). no longer not now or henceforth as formerly. no more n. nothing further (have no more to say; want no more of it).
--adj. not any more (no more wine?).
--adv.
1. no longer.
2 never again.
3 to no greater extent (is no more a lord than I am; could no more do it than fly in the air).
4 just as little, neither (you did not come, and no more did he). no, no an emphatic equivalent of a negative sentence (cf.
sense
1. of adv.). no-see-em (or -um) US a small bloodsucking insect, esp. a midge of the family Ceratopogonidae. no sooner ... than see SOON. not take no for an answer persist in spite of refusals. or no or not (pleasant or no, it is true).
whether or no
1. in either case.
2 (as an indirect question) which of a case and its negative (tell me whether or no).
Etymology: OE no, na f. ne not + o, a ever