can't
can't verb: cannot (negative modal auxiliary); be unable to; not have the ability to (whether due to lacking relevant strength or skill or knowledge or supplies, or due to logical impossibility, etc).
Verb
can't
- Cannot (negative modal auxiliary); be unable to; not have the ability to (whether due to lacking relevant strength or skill or knowledge or supplies, or due to logical impossibility, etc).
- I can’t quite get it to work.
- Shut up, can’t you?
- Antonyms:
- be able to, can
- To be forbidden to; to be not permitted to.
- You can’t enter the hall without a ticket.
- Antonyms:
- be able to, can, have to, must
- To be unwilling to; to not have the desire of; to don’t want to.
- Will you come to dinner with us tonight? Can't; already have plans this evening.
Antonyms of can't
Forms of can't
| alternative form (obsolete) | ca'n't |
|---|---|
| alternative Southern US (dialectal) | cain't |
Origin of can't
From can + -n't, since 1706 or earlier.
Words formed from can't
Phrases with can't
- I can't
- can't but
- can't lie
- can't even
- can't help
- can't seem
- can't wait
- can't stand
- I can't lie
- I can't swim
- can't complain
- can't help but
92 more phrasesFewer phrases
- you can't talk
- can't be fagged
- can't be fucked
- can't get enough
- can't be bothered
- it can't be helped
- I can't find my ...
- you can't fix stupid
- you can't polish shit
- can't park there, mate
- offer one can't refuse
- you can't make this up
- you can't win them all
- offers one can't refuse
- you can't go home again
- you can't polish a turd
- you can't unring a bell
- can't stand the sight of
- I can't thank you enough
- beggars can't be choosers
- from can see to can't see
- money can't buy happiness
- those who can't do, teach
- you can't fight City Hall
- you can't be half pregnant
- you can't outrun your fork
- you can't take it with you
- write checks one can't cash
- write cheques one can't cash
- writes checks one can't cash
- you can't make this stuff up
- writes cheques one can't cash
- writing checks one can't cash
- can't carry a tune in a bucket
- can't do right for doing wrong
- I can't remember the last time
- one can run but one can't hide
- writing cheques one can't cash
- you can't keep a good man down
- a leopard can't change its spots
- if you can't beat them, eat them
- you can't pour from an empty cup
- if you can't beat them, join them
- if you can't lick them, join them
- I can't hear you over the sound of
- one can't break a twig in a bundle
- one can't break sticks in a bundle
- sticks in a bundle can't be broken
- what you don't know can't hurt you
- you can't break a twig in a bundle
- you can't break sticks in a bundle
- you can't tell a book by its cover
- one can't break a stick in a bundle
- one hand can't hold two watermelons
- you can't break a stick in a bundle
- you can't get something for nothing
- you can't judge a book by its cover
- you can't catch old birds with chaff
- this is why we can't have nice things
- you can't get a quart into a pint pot
- you can't teach an old dog new tricks
- you can't turn a hoe into a housewife
- one can dish it, but one can't take it
- you can't step in the same river twice
- you can't put the shit back in the horse
- one can dish it out, but one can't take it
- one can't hold two watermelons in one hand
- you can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear
- can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em
- if you can't do the time, don't do the crime
- you can't put a wise head on young shoulders
- you can't put an old head on young shoulders
- can't live with them, can't live without them
- one can't carry two watermelons under one arm
- you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube
- you can't put the toothpaste back into the tube
- can't live with them and can't live without them
- you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs
- you can beat the rap, but you can't beat the ride
- if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen
- you can't live with 'em, you can't live without 'em
- you can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds
- one can't live with them, one can't live without them
- you can't live with them, you can't live without them
- you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink
- just because there's a goalie, doesn't mean you can't score
- you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make her drink
- you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink
- you can lead horses to water, but you can't make them drink
- if you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull
- if you can't dazzle them with your brilliance, blind them with bullshit
- you can take the monkey out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the monkey
Words that rhyme with can't
Questions about can't
- What does can't mean?
- Can't means cannot (negative modal auxiliary); be unable to; not have the ability to (whether due to lacking relevant strength or skill or knowledge or supplies, or due to logical impossibility, etc).
- What part of speech is can't?
- Can't is a verb.
Words near can't in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: can't (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “can't.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/can%27t. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.