NOTE

Pronunciation (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does note mean? 

• NOTE (noun)
  The noun NOTE has 9 senses:

1. a short personal letter
2. a brief written record
3. a characteristic emotional quality
4. a piece of paper money (especially one issued by a central bank)
5. a notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical sound
6. a comment or instruction (usually added)
7. high status importance owing to marked superiority
8. a tone of voice that shows what the speaker is feeling
9. a promise to pay a specified amount on demand or at a certain time

  Familiarity information: NOTE used as a noun is familiar.

• NOTE (verb)
  The verb NOTE has 4 senses:

1. make mention of
2. notice or perceive
3. observe with care or pay close attention to
4. make a written note of

  Familiarity information: NOTE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• NOTE (noun)

Sense 1

note [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A short personal letter

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

billet; note; short letter; line

Context example:

drop me a line when you get there

Hypernyms ("note" is a kind of...):

personal letter (a letter dealing with personal affairs)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "note"):

excuse (a note explaining an absence)

Sense 2

note [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A brief written record

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

he made a note of the appointment

Hypernyms ("note" is a kind of...):

written account; written record (a written document preserving knowledge of facts or events)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "note"):

jot; jotting (a brief (and hurriedly handwritten) note)

marginalia (notes written in the margin)

memo; memoranda; memorandum (a written proposal or reminder)

minute (a short note)

Sense 3

note [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A characteristic emotional quality

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context examples:

it ended on a sour note / there was a note of gaiety in her manner / he detected a note of sarcasm

Hypernyms ("note" is a kind of...):

air; atmosphere; aura (a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing)

Sense 4

note [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A piece of paper money (especially one issued by a central bank)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Synonyms:

greenback; government note; Federal Reserve note; banknote; banker's bill; bank note; bank bill; bill; note

Context example:

he peeled off five one-thousand-zloty notes

Hypernyms ("note" is a kind of...):

folding money; paper currency; paper money (currency issued by a government or central bank and consisting of printed paper that can circulate as a substitute for specie)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "note"):

buck; clam; dollar; dollar bill; one dollar bill (a piece of paper money worth one dollar)

two dollar bill (a United States bill worth 2 dollars)

five dollar bill; five-spot; fiver (a United States bill worth 5 dollars)

ten dollar bill; tenner (a United States bill worth 10 dollars)

twenty; twenty dollar bill (a United States bill worth 20 dollars)

fifty; fifty dollar bill (a United States bill worth 50 dollars)

c-note; hundred dollar bill (a United States bill worth 100 dollars)

silver certificate (formerly a bank note issued by the United States Treasury and redeemable in silver)

Sense 5

note [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical sound

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

musical note; note; tone

Context example:

the singer held the note too long

Hypernyms ("note" is a kind of...):

musical notation (a notation used by musicians)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "note"):

semibreve; whole note (a musical note having the longest time value (equal to four beats in common time))

half note; minim (a musical note having the time value of half a whole note)

crotchet; quarter note (a musical note having the time value of a quarter of a whole note)

eighth note; quaver (a musical note having the time value of an eighth of a whole note)

semiquaver; sixteenth note (a musical note having the time value of a sixteenth of a whole note)

demisemiquaver; thirty-second note (a musical note having the time value of a thirty-second of a whole note)

hemidemisemiquaver; sixty-fourth note (a musical note having the time value of a sixty-fourth of a whole note)

acciaccatura; appoggiatura; grace note (an embellishing note usually written in smaller size)

blue note (a flattened third or seventh)

monotone (a single tone repeated with different words or different rhythms (especially in rendering liturgical texts))

passing note; passing tone (a nonharmonic note inserted for transition between harmonic notes)

chord (a combination of three or more notes that blend harmoniously when sounded together)

middle C (the note designated by the first ledger line below the treble staff; 261.63 hertz)

keynote; tonic ((music) the first note of a diatonic scale)

supertonic ((music) the second note of a diatonic scale)

mediant ((music) the third note of a diatonic scale; midway between the tonic and the dominant)

subdominant ((music) the fourth note of the diatonic scale)

dominant ((music) the fifth note of the diatonic scale)

submediant ((music) the sixth note of a major or minor scale (or the third below the tonic))

leading tone; subtonic ((music) the seventh note of the diatonic scale)

pedal; pedal point (a sustained bass note)

shake; trill (a note that alternates rapidly with another note a semitone above it)

Holonyms ("note" is a member of...):

musical scale; scale ((music) a series of notes differing in pitch according to a specific scheme (usually within an octave))

Sense 6

note [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A comment or instruction (usually added)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

annotation; notation; note

Context examples:

his notes were appended at the end of the article / he added a short notation to the address on the envelope

Hypernyms ("note" is a kind of...):

comment; commentary (a written explanation or criticism or illustration that is added to a book or other textual material)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "note"):

postscript; PS (a note appended to a letter after the signature)

N.B.; NB; nota bene (a Latin phrase (or its abbreviation) used to indicate that special attention should be paid to something)

footer; footnote (a printed note placed below the text on a printed page)

acknowledgment; citation; cite; credit; mention; quotation; reference (a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage)

poste restante (a notation written on mail that is to be held at the post office until called for (not in the United States or Canada))

Sense 7

note [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

High status importance owing to marked superiority

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

eminence; preeminence; distinction; note

Context example:

a scholar of great eminence

Hypernyms ("note" is a kind of...):

high status (a position of superior status)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "note"):

king (preeminence in a particular category or group or field)

Sense 8

note [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A tone of voice that shows what the speaker is feeling

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

there was a note of uncertainty in his voice

Hypernyms ("note" is a kind of...):

tone; tone of voice (the quality of a person's voice)

Sense 9

note [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A promise to pay a specified amount on demand or at a certain time

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Synonyms:

promissory note; note of hand; note

Context example:

I had to co-sign his note at the bank

Hypernyms ("note" is a kind of...):

certificate of indebtedness; debt instrument (a written promise to repay a debt)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "note"):

time note (a note that specifies the time (or times) of repayment)

IOU (an informal debt instrument; representing 'I owe you')

municipal note (a municipal debt instrument with a maturity of less than 2 years)

note payable (a note promising to pay a certain amount of money at a certain time)

note receivable (your right in a promissory note in which the maker promises to pay a certain amount of money at a certain time)

demand note (a note payable on demand)

• NOTE (verb)

Sense 1

note [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Make mention of

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

remark; note; observe; mention

Context examples:

She observed that his presentation took up too much time / They noted that it was a fine day to go sailing

Hypernyms (to "note" is one way to...):

say; state; tell (express in words)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "note"):

comment; notice; point out; remark (make or write a comment on)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sense 2

note [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Notice or perceive

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

note; notice; mark

Context examples:

She noted that someone was following her / mark my words

"Note" entails doing...:

comprehend; perceive (to become aware of through the senses)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "note"):

take notice (observe with special attention)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sense 3

note [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Observe with care or pay close attention to

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

take note; note; observe

Context example:

Take note of this chemical reaction

"Note" entails doing...:

comprehend; perceive (to become aware of through the senses)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 4

note [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Make a written note of

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

note; take down

Context example:

she noted everything the teacher said that morning

Hypernyms (to "note" is one way to...):

get down; put down; set down; write down (put down in writing; of texts, musical compositions, etc.)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE