not have the faintest

verb

To not know; to have no idea.

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Meanings

verb
  1. informalTo not know; to have no idea.

    For the most part we do not have the faintest who asylum-seekers really are.

    2003 January 19, “Terrorist 'sleepers' slip intelligence net”, in The Independent
    2 more examples

    Soon everything is in its appointed place except for Becky. And Becky does not have the faintest where that is.

    1992, Maureen Freely, The Stork Club, A&C Black, →ISBN, page 273

    You may have heard the call to go on your short-term mission (STM), but you also need to be in the right place at the right time. Like Isaiah, you may be able to say, "Here I am! Send me" (Isaiah 6:8) – but may not have the faintest where to go, with whom, or know the duration of the STM.

    2018, Mathew Backholer, Short-Term Missions, A Christian Guide to STMs: For Leaders, Pastors, ByFaith Media, →ISBN, page 30

Origin

Ellipsis of "not have the faintest idea/clue/notion/understanding/concept/inkling".

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

not have the faintest. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20have%20the%20faintest

MLA

“not have the faintest.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20have%20the%20faintest. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “not have the faintest,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20have%20the%20faintest.

Source: not have the faintest on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.