Don't
verbThe contracted form of 'do not', used to make a negative statement or command.
How to spell don't
4 letters · 1 syllable
How to pronounce don't
What does don't mean?
- verbThe contracted form of 'do not', used to make a negative statement or command.
Don't in a sentence
-
Don't forget to lock the door before you leave for work.
-
They don't accept cash at that restaurant anymore.
Where does don't come from?
Language of origin: Germanic
This is a contraction of 'do not', and both halves are deeply native English words. 'Do' descends from the Old English verb 'don', meaning 'to perform or carry out', while 'not' comes from Old English 'nawiht' (later 'noht'), literally 'no thing' or 'nothing at all'. Contracted negatives like this began appearing in writing during the 1600s as everyday speech sped the two words together and clipped the vowel out of 'not'. The apostrophe was introduced precisely to mark that missing 'o', standing in for the letter that the spoken form swallows. That is the whole spelling trap: writers who forget the apostrophe are forgetting to flag the letter that pronunciation quietly drops, leaving the bare nonword 'dont'.
How the word is built
- do (auxiliary verb)
- n't (reduced form of 'not', joined with an apostrophe marking the dropped letter)
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