not for a moment
Not for any length of time; not at any point; not at all or in any capacity. Not for a moment did I think this would be a winning ticket, so I was totally gobsmacked to find out I'd won the jackpot! A: "So, did you suspect we were throwing you a surprise party?" B: "No, not for a moment!"
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
not for a moment
not at all; not even for a short amount of time; never. I don't want you to leave. Not for a moment! I could not wish such a horrible punishment on anyone. Not for a moment!
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
not for a moment
Never, not in the least, as in Not for a moment did I believe he was telling the truth. This expression employs moment in the sense of "the tiniest length of time," a usage dating from the mid-1300s.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
not for a/one ˈminute/ˈmoment/ˈsecond/ˈinstant
(informal) not at all; definitely not: I didn’t think for a minute that he was married. ♢ Not for one instant would I ever consider going there on holiday again.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017