cannot but

ˈkænət ˈbʌt (US/UK

Definition

Conjugation

Definition of cannot but - Reverso English Dictionary

Verbal expression

linguistics

Dated

expresses being unable to do otherwise than perform an action

Dated

I cannot but agree after hearing all the evidence.
Hearing his story, we cannot but feel sympathy.
Faced with such generosity, she cannot but say yes.

cannot help but

must

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Expressions with cannot but

💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.

cannot but think

feel compelled to think something is true

I cannot but think she is right.

Expressions with cannot

cannot help

be unable to stop oneself from doing something

She cannot help laughing at his jokes.

cannot stand

feel strong dislike or intolerance for something

I cannot stand the noise from the construction.

you cannot please everyone

exp.

impossible to satisfy all people

She learned the hard way that you cannot please everyone.

cannot be ruled out

cannot be eliminated from consideration as a potential outcome or cause

Investigators said an equipment fault cannot be ruled out yet.

write cheques you cannot cash

make promises you cannot fulfill

He tends to write cheques you cannot cash with his big talk.

a leopard cannot change its spots

exp.

people cannot change their true nature or character

Despite his promises, a leopard cannot change its spots.

Terms with cannot but included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.

the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak

exp.

desire versus weakness

someone wants to do something but cannot because of weakness

View all translations of cannot but

✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.

French:ne pouvoir que, ...
German:nicht anders können, als, ...
Italian:non poter fare altro che, ...
Spanish:no poder sino, ...
Portuguese:não poder senão, ...
Chinese:不得不, ...
Japanese:〜せざるを得ない, ...
Arabic:لَمْ يَمْلِكْ إِلّا أَنْ, ...
Hebrew:אֵינִי יָכוֹל אֶלָּא, ...
Russian:не мочь не сделать, ...
Ukrainian:не могти не, ...
Hindi:मजबूर होना, ...
Bengali:না করে উপায় না থাকা, ...
Catalan:no poder evitar, ...
Czech:nemoci jinak než, ...
Danish:kan ikke andet end, ...
Dutch:niet anders kunnen dan, ...
Greek:δεν μπορώ παρά να, ...
Hungarian:nem tehet mást, mint hogy, ...
Khmer:មិនអាចធ្វើអ្វីក្រៅពី, ...
Korean:~하지 않을 수 없다, ...
Persian:نتوانستن جز این‌که, ...
Polish:nie móc nie, ...
Portuguese (BR):não poder deixar de, ...
Romanian:a nu putea decât să, ...
Swedish:kan inte låta bli att, ...
Thai:อดไม่ได้ที่จะ, ...
Turkish:-meden edememek, ...
Vietnamese:không thể không, ...

Browse the dictionary entries starting with “c”:

cannot be helped

cannot be ruled out

cannot but think

cannot care less about

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Definition of cannot but - Reverso English Dictionary

Verbal expression

Expressions with cannot but

Expressions with cannot

Terms related to cannot but

Terms with cannot but included in their meaning

View all translations of cannot but

Discover how Reverso redefines the dictionary

Go beyond “simple words”

Get more than a simple definition

Go from understanding to mastery