Meanings
-
1
contraction
a contraction of must not, used to express prohibition or a strong negative necessity
You mustn't open the door until the train stops.
-
2
contraction
used to express a strong negative conclusion or expectation
She mustn't have heard the warning.
Thesaurus
Etymology
A contraction of must + not. The ending -n't is a reduced form of not, while rapid speech commonly simplifies the consonant cluster so the t of must is weak or absent.