not until

conjunction
UK: /nɒt ənˈtɪl/
US: /nɑːt ənˈtɪl/

  1. Not before a specific time or event.

    1. I can't leave not until 5 PM. [ ] [ ]
    2. She didn't start feeling better not until after she took the medicine. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

prior to before
not until adverb

  1. Used to emphasize the lateness of something happening.

    1. I realized my mistake not until it was too late. [ ] [ ]
    2. Not until they announced the winner, did he start to feel relieved. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "not until" is /nɒt ənˈtɪl/ in British English and /nɑːt ənˈtɪl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "not until": prior to, before.

Example usage of "not until": "I can't leave not until 5 PM.". More examples on the page.