noes

noun

variants or nos
Definition of noesnext
plural of no
1
as in nays
a vote or decision against something though I wanted spaghetti for dinner, the consensus was a decisive no

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in refusals
an unwillingness to grant something asked for gave him a polite no when he asked her to dance

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of noes Near daybreak, when the Senate did call for the vote to adjourn, Lee and others objected with hearty nos. — Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026 While that effort went down with a wider margin, 84 nos and 17 yeses, a dozen Republicans supported it, revealing the extent of unease over the issue within the Senate GOP conference. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 4 June 2026 On the framework amendment, there were 12 Republican noes. — Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2026 The list of noes from top free agents since then is not insignificant. — Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026 The winningest teams lose and Hollywood, there's so many nos. — Outside Online, 10 Sep. 2025 Some guys have been immediate nos. — James Parker, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2025 Here, Southern designers weigh in with insights on outdated bedding colors that are hard nos in their book. — Sarah Lyon, Southern Living, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for noes
  1. nays
  2. refusals
  3. rejections
  4. denials
Noun
  • And on July 2, after the arrival of British forces in New York lent the proceedings new urgency, Congress did, in fact, declare independence—with a vote of 12 yeas, 0 nays, and 1 abstention.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 July 2026
  • With Cornyn not on the floor, the vote for more than 25 minutes was stuck at 56 ayes and 40 nays, with three other GOP senators, Rick Scott of Florida, Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson and Mike Lee of Utah, not voting, for unclear reasons.
    — Emily Wilkins,Dan Mangan, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025
Definition of nays
Noun
  • During an internal cyber evaluation, OpenAI models operating with reduced cyber refusals were given no direct internet access.
    — Bob Ackerman, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Ajax is designed to be less restrictive Kjellberg is also deliberately changing how Ajax handles refusals.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of refusals
Noun
  • Proposals that could affect the budget were denied, according to the union, with many rejections coming at the last minute.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Stallone endured an avalanche of rejections from agents who felt his slurry speech and asymmetrical mouth were liabilities — the very traits, of course, that would mark him as an original in a few short years.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of rejections
Noun
  • Brushing aside his denials, deputies charged the father of two young children with using the internet to try to entice a 13-year-old girl to have sex with him.
    — Kate Payne, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
  • On Friday, Yabloko’s leader appealed to Ella Pamfilova, head of the Central Election Commission, over what the party said were numerous denials of entry to its observers and pressure on them.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of denials

Browse Nearby Words

no end
noes
noetic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Noes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/noes. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All