nope

A child shakes their head and says "nope" when offered broccoli.

Definition

1. Adverb (informal):
   • No: "nope" is an informal, emphatic way of saying "no," used to express a negative response or refusal.

Usage Examples

• (A direct, informal refusal.)
• (A casual negative answer.)
• (An emphatic denial.)

Advanced Usage

• "Nope, not a chance": an even stronger informal refusal.

  • "Can I borrow your laptop?" "Nope, not a chance." (A definitive, slightly dismissive negative.)

• "Nope, nada": combining "nope" with Spanish "nada" (nothing) for emphasis.

  • "Did you find anything?" "Nope, nada at all." (Absolutely nothing was found.)

Variants and Related Words

• Yep (adv, informal): the affirmative counterpart, meaning "yes."

  • "Are you ready?" "Yep, let's go." (An informal, emphatic yes.)

• Nope is a variant of "no," formed by adding a glottal stop or a "p" sound for emphasis, common in casual speech.

Synonyms

• No: the standard, neutral negative.
• Nah: another informal variant of "no," often softer than "nope."
  • "Do you want coffee?" "Nah, I'm fine." (A casual, less emphatic refusal.)

Related Idioms

• Nope, no way: an informal idiom meaning "absolutely not."

  • "Can you help me move this weekend?" "Nope, no way—I'm busy." (A firm, informal refusal.)

• Nope, not on your life: a more emphatic idiom meaning "under no circumstances."

  • "Will you jump off that cliff?" "Nope, not on your life." (A strong, informal denial.)