note

UK/nəʊ̯t//noʊ̯t/

note noun: a mark or token by which a thing may be known; a visible sign; a character; a distinctive mark or feature; a characteristic quality.

Noun (1)

note (countable and uncountable, plural notes)

A mark or token by which a thing may be known; a visible sign; a character; a distinctive mark or feature; a characteristic quality.
- As therefore they that are of the Myſticall Body of Chriſt, haue thoſe inward Graces and Vertues, whereby they differ from all others which are not of the ſame Body ; againe, whoſoeuer appertaine to the Viſible Body of the Church, they haue alſo the notes of externall Profeſſion, whereby the World...1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, London: William Stansbye, published 1622, book III, page 89
- She [the Anglican church] has the Note of possession, the Note of freedom from party-titles ; the Note of life, a tough life and a vigorous ; she has ancient descent, unbroken continuance, agreement in doctrine with the ancient Church.1841, John Henry Newman, A Letter to the Right Reverend Father in God, Richard, Lord Bishop of Oxford, on Occasion of No. 90, in the Series Called The Tracts for the Times, Oxford: John Henry Parker...
A mark, or sign, made to call attention, to point out something to notice, or the like; a sign, or token, proving or giving evidence.
A brief remark; a marginal comment or explanation; hence, an annotation on a text or author; a comment; a critical, explanatory, or illustrative observation.
A brief piece of writing intended to assist the memory; a memorandum; a minute.
- I left him a note to remind him to take out the trash.
A short informal letter; a billet.
- Garson: Drop me a note sometime. I'd love to hear how we're doing.2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Ark Hyperion
(literary) An academic treatise (often without regard to length); a treatment; a discussion paper; (loosely) any contribution to an academic discourse.
A diplomatic missive or written communication.
A written or printed paper (or digital equivalent) acknowledging a debt, and promising payment.
- Near-synonyms: draft, bond, paper, commercial paper, IOU, letter of credit
- a promissory note
Synonyms:

draft, bond, paper, commercial paper, IOU, letter of credit
(obsolete) A list of items or of charges; an account.
- Heere is now the Smithes note, for Shooing, / And Plough-Irons.c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […]...
A piece of paper or polymer money; a banknote.
- I didn't have any coins to pay with, so I used a note.
- Seven months ago Prime Minister Ante Marković, a Croat, attacked Yugoslavia's 2,600 percent inflation rate by making the dinar convertible to Western currencies and lopping off four zeroes. The million-dinar note shrank to a hundred dinars.1990 August, Kenneth C. Danforth, “Yugoslavia: A House Much Divided”, in National Geographic, volume 178, number 2, page 110
Synonyms:

bill
(extension) A small size of paper used for writing letters or notes.
A character, variously formed, to indicate the length of a tone, and variously placed upon the staff to indicate its pitch.

Show 10 more meaningsShow fewer meanings

A musical sound; a tone; an utterance; a tune; a beat of a drum.
- Then feed on thoughts, that voluntarie move / Harmonious numbers ; as the wakeful Bird / Sings darkling, and in ſhadieſt Covert hid / Tunes her nocturnal Note.1667, John Milton, “Book III”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...
- Judge Short had gone to town, and Farrar was off for a three days' cruise up the lake. I was bitterly regretting I had not gone with him when the distant notes of a coach horn reached my ear, and I descried a four-in-hand winding its way up the inn road from the direction of Mohair.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 47
(broadly) A key of the piano or organ.
(broadly) A call or song of a bird.
- We heard the peculiar note of the woodcock, which resembles the repeated croaking of the frog, followed by a sharp hissing sound, somewhat like the noisy chirping of the wagtail[.]1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 85
(rhythm games) An indicator to which the player must correctly time some input.
(perfumery) An element of a scent, fragrance, or perfume, especially as a descriptor or category.
- Isoamyl acetate (banana): This familiar scent is known to most noses as the primary odor note in bananas and pears.1987 October, Avery N. Gilbert and Charles J. Wysocki, “Results of the Smell Survey”, in National Geographic, volume 172, number 4, page 216
(uncountable) Observation; notice; heed.
- Go in Nerriſſa, / Giue order to my ſeruants, that they take / No note at all of our being abſent hence, / Nor you Lorenzo, Ieſſica nor you.c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- So it is true, that ſmall matters win great commendation, becauſe they are continually in uſe, and in note ; whereas the occaſion of any great virtue cometh but on feſtivals.1625, Francis Bacon, “Of ceremonies and reſpects”, in The Works of Francis Bacon, volume III, London: J. and J. Knapton et al., published 1730, page 373
Synonyms:

attention
(uncountable) Reputation; distinction.
- a poet of note
A critical comment.
- Your performance was fantastic! I have just one note: you were a little flat in bars 35 and 36.
(obsolete) Notification; information; intelligence.
(obsolete) Mark of disgrace.
- That my poſteritie ſham’d with the note / Shall curſe my bones, and hold it for no ſinne, / To wiſh that I their father had not beene.1594, William Shakespeare, Lucrece (First Quarto), London: […] Richard Field, for Iohn Harrison, […], →OCLC
- Once more, the more to aggrauate the note,
  With a foule Traitors name ſtuffe I thy throte,
  And wiſh (ſo pleaſe my Soueraigne) ere I moue,
  What my tong ſpeaks, my right drawn ſword may proue1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to...
Synonyms:

blemish, blot, brand, reproach, stain, stigma, taint

Verb

note (third-person singular simple present notes, present participle noting, simple past and past participle noted)

(transitive) To notice with care; to observe; to remark; to heed.
- If you look to the left, you can note the old cathedral.
- Note the difference between progesterone and progrestogen: the former is simply a type of the latter.
(transitive) To record in writing; to make a memorandum of.
- We noted his speech.
(transitive) To denote; to designate.
- The modular multiplicative inverse of x may be noted x⁻¹.
(transitive) To annotate.
(transitive) To set down in musical characters.
(transitive) To record on the back of (a bill, draft, etc.) a refusal of acceptance, as the ground of a protest, which is done officially by a notary.
- By noting the protest, notaries could date certificates when they were received, making it easier to comply with time restrictions associated with protesting.2020 October 28, Kimberly Budd for the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, case SJC-12769

Noun (2)

note (usually uncountable, plural notes)

(Ireland, Northern England, Scotland, UK, dialectal, usually) That which is needed or necessary; business; duty; work.
- And have thou that for thy note !1838, William Marriott, “The Deluge”, in A Collection of English Miracle-Plays or Mysteries, Basel: Schweighauser & Co, page 11
- Tha'll keep me at this noit all day... Om always at this noit.1897 May 27, Halifax Courier, quoted in 1903, Joseph Wright, English Dialect Dictionary, volume IV, London: Henry Frowde, page 302
(Ireland, Northern England, Scotland, UK, dialectal, usually) Milk-giving by a cow or sow; (specifically) the period following calving or farrowing, during which a cow or sow is most productive and useful.
- The supply of horned cattle at this fair was great, but the business done was confined to fleshy barreners of feeding qualities and superior new-calved heifers, and those at early note, with appearance of being useful; [...]1843, The Farmer's Magazine, page 384
- For sale, a Kerry cow, five years old, at her note in May.1875, Paper, Belfast
(Ireland, Northern England, Scotland, UK, broadly, dialectal) The milk given by a cow or sow during such period.

Proper noun capitalized: Note

the Note

(informal) The St. Louis Blues hockey team.

note meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

note in Hindi

musical sound: सुर sur, स्वर svar

note in Marathi

note, chit: चिठ्ठी ciṭhṭhī
note, tune: स्वर svara

note in Urdu

note, writing: کاغذ kāġaz
to note: دھیان دینا dhyān denā

More languagesFewer languages

note in Bengali: টীকা, মন্তব্য, চিরকুট, ধ্বনি
note in Telugu: స్వరము svaramu
note in Malayalam: കുറിപ്പ് kuṟippŭ, സ്വരം svaraṁ, ശ്രദ്ധിക്കുക śraddhikkuka, കുറിക്കുക kuṟikkuka
note in Kannada: ಸ್ವರ svara
note in Punjabi: ਪਰਵਾਨਾ parvānā, واج vāj
note in Gujarati: દફતર daphtar
note in Odia: ନୋଟ୍, ଟିପ୍ପଣୀ, ନୋଟ
note in Sanskrit: टिप्प् ṭipp, स्वर svára
note in Assamese: টোকা tüka
note in Nepali: नोट, नोट गर्नुहोस्, नोट गर्दै
note in Tagalog: nota, tiknig
note in Arabic: مُلَاحَظَة mulāḥaẓa, مَلْحُوظَة malḥūẓa, مُذَكَّرَة muḏakkara, دَرَجَة daraja
note in Malay: nada
note in Indonesian: not
note in Persian: نت not, یادداشت yâddâšt
note in Thai: โน้ต nóot
note in Vietnamese: bút ký, âm phù, nốt nhạc
note in Myanmar: မှတ်စု hmatcu.

Examples of note in a sentence

What a note of youth, of imagination, of impulsive eagerness, there was through it all !1888, Mary Augusta Ward, Robert Elsmere, volume I, London: Macmillan and Co., page 217:
For the first ten years of nationalisation a further note of overall gloom was added by the depressing policy of unimaginative Regional colour schemes, indifferently applied.1962 October, Brian Haresnape, “Focus on B.R. passenger stations”, in Modern Railways, page 251:
The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen.1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 20, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
The car he drives / I pay the note every month1974, Shirley Brown, “Woman to Woman”, in Woman to Woman:

All 40 example sentences with note

Synonyms of note

6 more synonymsFewer synonyms

All synonyms of note

Forms of note

Noun
plural	notes
alternative form	noit
alternative form	noyt
alternative form	not
Verb
third-person singular present	notes
present participle	noting
past participle	noted
past	noted

Past tense of note: noted

Plural of note: notes

Origin of note

From Middle English note, from Old English not, nōt (“note, mark, sign”) and Old French note (“letter, note”), both from Latin nota (“mark, sign, remark, note”).

From Middle English note (“use, usefulness, profit”), from Old English notu (“use, enjoyment, advantage, profit, utility”), from Proto-West Germanic *notu, from Proto-Germanic *nutō (“enjoyment, utilisation”), from Proto-Indo-European *newd- (“to acquire, make use of”). Cognate with West Frisian not (“yield, produce, crop”), Dutch genot (“enjoyment, pleasure”), Dutch nut (“usefulness, utility, behoof”), German Nutzen (“benefit, usefulness, utility”), Icelandic not (“use”, noun). Related also to Old English notian (“to enjoy, make use of, employ”), Old English nēotan (“to use, enjoy”), Old High German niozan (“to use, enjoy”) (Modern German genießen (“to enjoy”)), Modern German benutzen (“to use”). Related to nait.

Words formed from note

Phrases with note

95 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with note

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about note

What does note mean?: Note means a mark or token by which a thing may be known; a visible sign; a character; a distinctive mark or feature; a characteristic quality.
What is note in Hindi?: Note in Hindi is सुर (sur), स्वर (svar). See Note meaning in Hindi.
How do you use note in a sentence?: What a note of youth, of imagination, of impulsive eagerness, there was through it all !
What part of speech is note?: Note can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce note?: Note is pronounced /nəʊ̯t/ (UK).
What is the plural of note?: The plural of note is notes.

Words near note in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-note.ogg.

Cite this entry: “note.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/note. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.