no can do

interjection

I cannot do it.

Opposite
can do
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Meanings

interjection
  1. informalI cannot do it.

    But I can't go for that, no no / No can do

    1981, “I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)”, in Private Eyes, performed by Hall & Oates
    1 more example

    Tony Stark: If Thanos needs all six, why don't we just stick this one down a garbage disposal? Doctor Strange: No can do. Wong: We swore an oath to protect the Time Stone with our lives.

    2018, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Avengers: Infinity War

    Antonyms: can do

Synonyms & antonyms

interjectionI cannot do it.

Opposite
can do

Origin

From Chinese Pidgin English, calquing Chinese 不能做 (bùnéng zuò, “cannot do”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

no can do. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/no%20can%20do

MLA

“no can do.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/no%20can%20do. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “no can do,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/no%20can%20do.

Source: no can do on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.