• Can't

    Pronunciation

    • AU enPR: känt, IPA: /kaːnt/, kʰäːnt
    • UK enPR: känt, IPA: /kɑːnt/, kʰɑːnt
      • Rhymes: -ɑːnt
    • many US speakers enPR: kănt, IPA: /kænt/
    • ae-tensing IPA: keÉ™nt
      • Rhymes: -ænt
    • Southern US IPA: keɪnt
      • Rhymes: -eɪnt
    • Homophones: cant, Kant in some dialects

    Origin

    can + -n't, since 1706

    Online Etymology Dictionary

    or earlier

    Merriam Webster Online

    .

    Full definition of can't

    Contraction

    1. cannot; is unable to; does not have the ability toI can't quite get it to work.
    2. is forbidden to; is not permitted toYou can't enter the hall without a ticket.
    3. Logically impossible. Logical negative conclusion. (Often with "be")
      The butler can't be the murderer because he was in London that evening.

    Usage notes

    Some US dialects that glottalize the final /t/ in can't (), in order to differentiate can't from can, pronounce can as even when stressed.

    Antonyms

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