Word.ws English Dictionary

isn't

UK/ˈɪz.ənt//ˈɪz.ənt/

isn't is the contraction of is.

Meaning of is

Verb

is

  1. (colloquial) Used in phrases with existential there (also here and where) when the semantic subject is plural.
    • There is three of them there.

Noun

isn't (plural isn'ts)

  1. (colloquial, nonstandard) Something or someone that is defined by the lack of the characteristic being discussed.
    • The most obvious recommendations for Joe Biden are a succession of “isn’ts.” He isn’t Donald Trump. He isn’t Bernie Sanders. He isn’t angry, bigoted, cruel, demagogic, erratic, frightening or gross. He isn’t going to drive Americans to distraction or the country into a ditch.2020 August 17, Bret Stephens, “On Being a Biden Conservative”, in The New York Times

Forms of isn't

Verb
alternative pronunciation-spellingidn't
alternative Scotlandisnae
alternative Northern England (informal)in't
alternative West-Country (slang)i'n
Noun
pluralisn'ts

Origin of isn't

From is + -n't.

Words formed from isn't

Phrases with isn't

10 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with isn't

Questions about isn't

What does isn't mean?
Isn't means something or someone that is defined by the lack of the characteristic being discussed.
What is isn't the contraction of?
Isn't is the contraction of is.
What part of speech is isn't?
Isn't is a noun.
How do you pronounce isn't?
Isn't is pronounced /ˈɪz.ənt/ (UK).
What is the plural of isn't?
The plural of isn't is isn'ts.

Words near isn't in the dictionary

  1. Ismene
  2. isms
  3. isms and schisms
  4. Ismāʿīlī
  5. Ismāʿīlīs
  6. isn't
  7. isn't it
  8. isn't it so
  9. Isn'trael
  10. Isn'treal
  11. isn'ts

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: isn't (page history and authors); is (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:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-isn't.ogg.

Cite this entry: “isn't.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/isn%27t. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.