can't even
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkænt ˌiːvən/, /ˈkɑːnt ˌiːvən/
Audio (AU) (file) - Note: Even in the slang sense with no following verb, the phrase is accented as if there were a verb present.
Verb
can't even (third-person singular simple present can't even, no present participle, simple past couldn't even, no past participle)
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see can’t, even.
- He’s nine years old, and can’t even tie his own shoelaces!
- (slang) Without a following verb, as an expression of aporia: to be unable to express one's feelings about an overwhelming situation.
- Oh my God, I got cheap tickets to the Beyoncé concert! I can’t even!
Further reading
- “I can't even”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
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