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nope

Etymology and origin of the English word nope

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1888

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /nəʊp/ (UK); /noʊp/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is an emphatic form of no, the -p representing the sound of the lips closing after the vowel.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

No: 1888, in American English.[2][3][5][6]

Semantic evolution

It is informal and was originally American.[7][4] Compare yep, formed in the same way from yes.[2][7]

Timeline

Modern meaning

Adverb

  1. (informal) No.

Usage notes

A separate, dialectal nope, the bullfinch, is from 1611, apparently from an alp with the n moved across (an alp → a nalp).[5][7][6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Cite this entry

“Nope.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/nope. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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