modal verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
cannot be faulted
▪
The judge cannot be faulted on his decision.
cannot be overemphasized (= used to say that something is very important )
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The importance of adequate preparation cannot be overemphasized .
cannot be overstated (= is very important )
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The importance of a child’s early years cannot be overstated .
cannot resist (doing) sth
▪
I couldn't resist teasing him.
sth cannot be overestimated ( also sth can hardly be overestimated ) (= used to emphasize that something is very important )
▪
His influence on rock music cannot be overestimated.
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The importance of good medical care can hardly be overestimated.
words cannot express sth (= it is impossible to describe something )
▪
Words can’t express how much I miss her.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
Ye cannot serve God and Mammon
cannot for the life of me
cannot put a name to sth
cannot/could not bring yourself to do sth
▪
But I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
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He had died somewhere on the way to his next case, and Quinn could not bring himself to feel sorry.
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I debated with myself but in the end, I could not bring myself to pack up and leave.
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Rain could not bring herself to put this to the test.
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She could not bring herself to fall down the house stairs.
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The New-York Historical Society couldn't bring itself to do that.
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The teakettle made a brisk whistling sound, but John Wade could not bring himself to move.
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This little subterfuge the guard put into motion somehow he could not bring himself to do it.
it cannot be otherwise/how can it be otherwise?
sb cannot but do sth
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
Many people cannot find affordable housing.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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And to know these, the artist cannot force his own intentions upon nature.
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Excellence in defense management will not and cannot emerge by legislation or directive.
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How they will look when that has been done cannot now be foreseen, but they will look different.
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Passive-aggressive people cannot openly express angry emotions and deny feelings of resentment and anger.
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Some observers can see it with the naked eye under ideal conditions, though I certainly cannot .
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Sound waves can go where light cannot .
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Trim fingernails if the resident cannot .