# notes

/ˈnoʊts/ (US) · /nˈəʊts/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/notes
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. written records

noun · CEFR A2

short pieces of writing that help you remember something.

For teachers: brief written records or jottings intended to aid memory or document information.

- She took detailed notes during the meeting so she wouldn't forget the plan.
- The student's lecture notes were so comprehensive that his classmates frequently asked to borrow them before the final examination.

### 2. Music

noun · CEFR A2

single sounds in music or the symbols that represent them.

For teachers: discrete musical pitches or the graphic symbols used to represent such sounds in notation.

- The singer struggled to hit the high notes at the end of the song.
- The pianist played the opening notes with such delicate phrasing that the entire audience fell into a respectful silence.

### 3. paper money

noun · CEFR B1 · British English

pieces of paper money.

For teachers: units of paper currency issued by a central bank.

- He pulled a handful of ten-pound notes from his wallet to pay for the taxi.
- The shopkeeper refused to accept the damaged notes, insisting that the customer provide cleaner currency or pay by card.

### 4. to notice or mention

verb · CEFR B2 · Formal

to notice something or to mention it in writing.

For teachers: to observe with care or to mention something as a point of interest; functions as a third-person singular present indicative.

- The report notes that sales have increased by ten percent this year.
- The author notes in the preface that the research was funded entirely by private donations rather than government grants.

## Examples

- I take notes during every English class.
- She looked over her notes one last time before the presentation started to ensure she remembered the key figures.
- The historian spent years examining the handwritten notes in the margins of the manuscript, hoping to find clues about the author's true intentions.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.