Meanings
- There is no need for concern; there isn't a serious problem.
She didn't catch this train, but not to worry: she can get the next one.
3 more examples
For those whose economic outlook may be summarised in that hackneyed expression "Not to worry," then the latest figures could be interpreted as conducive to that conviction.
1958, The Shipbuilder and Marine Engine-builder, volume 65, Shipbuilder Press, page 371Flynn: Not to worry. They'll get back before Sergeant Walker pays his visit. You'll be O.K.
1965, Plays and Players, volume 13, Hansom BooksStill under the influence of "Havoline" and Demerol, I was drifting in and out of never-never land when a nurse came hurrying in and said, "Not to worry! You have some irregularities. We are going to give you a bolus of lidocaine, and it will all straighten out."
1986, Robert DeBellis, Suffering: Psychological and Social Aspects in Loss, Grief, and Care, Psychology PressSynonyms: no worries
Synonyms & antonyms
phraseThere is no need for concern; there isn't a serious problem.
Origin
The origin of the phrase is unknown. According to Partridge’s Dictionary of Catch Phrases the idiom dates from the mid-1930s with a surge in 1957–8.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
not to worry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20to%20worry
“not to worry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20to%20worry. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “not to worry,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20to%20worry.
Source: not to worry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.