cancel
can·cel [ ˈkan(t)-səl]
cancel
noun
Definition of cancel (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : cancellation
//an order quickly followed by a cancel
//an order quickly followed by a cancel
2a : a deleted part or passage
b(1) : a leaf containing matter to be deleted
(2) : a new leaf or slip substituted for matter already printed
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Other Words from cancel
Verb
cancelable or cancellable \ ˈkan(t)-s(ə-)lə-bəl 
\ adjective
\ adjectivecanceler or canceller \ ˈkan(t)-s(ə-)lər \ noun
\ noun
Examples of cancel in a Sentence
Verb
The event was canceled at the last minute when the speaker didn't show up.
We canceled our dinner reservation.
My flight was canceled because of the storm.
She canceled her appointment with the dentist.
I'm sorry, but I have to cancel. Can we meet next week?
He canceled his insurance policy last month.
We canceled our magazine subscription when we moved.
The bank canceled my credit card.
If you subscribe online, you can cancel at any time.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The National Weather Service canceled a winter storm warning late Tuesday night for eastern Cuyahoga County, as well as Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake counties.
—
Cliff Pinckard, cleveland, "Heavy lake-effect snow still possible overnight east of Cleveland," 13 Nov. 2019 More than 500 incoming and outgoing flights were delayed or canceled Tuesday, according to the tracking site Flight Aware.
—
Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, "Cities across U.S. experience record lows as arctic blast brings snow and ice," 12 Nov. 2019 More than 400 schools and education centers across New South Wales, and a number in neighboring Queensland, canceled classes Tuesday.
—
BostonGlobe.com, "Australia confronts ‘catastrophic’ fire conditions - The Boston Globe," 12 Nov. 2019 Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., canceled races, facing temperatures that were not fit for man or beast.
—
John Ismay, New York Times, "The Arctic Plunge: From Feeling Like 92 to Freezing in a Day," 12 Nov. 2019 The previous Tuesday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr canceled a practice, in part to ensure that Lee wouldn’t have to count the day against his 45-day limit.
—
Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, "Warriors’ Damion Lee to miss at least 2 weeks with broken hand," 12 Nov. 2019 The university canceled classes and graduation ceremonies scheduled for the afternoon, while the student union called on students to partake in memorial services.
—
Author: Casey Quackenbush, Anchorage Daily News, "With student’s death, Hong Kong uprising enters a perilous new phase," 8 Nov. 2019 Former Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office canceled more than 1.4 million voter registrations during his tenure, and more than 500,000 in 2017 alone – the largest single voter purge in U.S. history.
—
Tracey Ross, Essence, "Valuing Our Votes," 8 Nov. 2019 Checking off the boxes for comfortable design, terrific sound, ANC or active noise canceling, a transparency mode, long battery life, easy controls and an intuitive setup thanks to the Apple H1 chip.
—
Jacob Krol, CNN Underscored, "Apple's newest Airpods are already on sale," 6 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun No one likes a bully, and in this age of cancel culture, the behavior can have dramatic consequences.
—
Frederick Reimers, Outside Online, "Why Thousands of People Are Mad at Backcountry," 6 Nov. 2019 The cancel-school petitions have been posted from around the country.
—
Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, "Alabama students launch petition to cancel school the Friday after Halloween," 28 Oct. 2019 Sarah Silverman spoke out about cancel culture, the need for empathy and mental health awareness across a public appearance and documentary this past week.
—
BostonGlobe.com, "Sarah Silverman," 14 Oct. 2019 The episode is being held up as the latest example of cancel culture, in which people, usually celebrities, are publicly shunned and boycotted after allegations of problematic behavior come to light.
—
Scottie Andrew And Christina Zdanowicz, CNN, "He raised millions in donations through beer money. Then his old racist tweets surfaced," 26 Sep. 2019 But conservatism’s version of cancel culture may be distinct from the Left’s version in one important way.
—
Ross Douthat, National Review, "Horror-Comedy Ready or Not Plays on Primal Human Fears," 12 Sep. 2019 The Department of Public Health has recommended that communities identified as critical cancel or reschedule outdoor activities that occur from dusk to dawn.
—
Hanna Krueger, BostonGlobe.com, "No Friday night lights: High school games moved for communities at critical risk for EEE," 5 Sep. 2019 In today’s mainstream comedy of liberal partisanship and fear of cancel culture, only the gutless are trustworthy.
—
Peter Spiliakos, National Review, "The Simpsons and the Cowardice of Tribal Comedy," 28 Aug. 2019 But the chilling effect of cancel culture is arguably worse than that of more official forms of censorship.
—
Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, "Pavlik Morozov Is the Patron Saint of Cancel Culture," 2 July 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cancel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Learn More about cancel
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
What It Means to Get 'Canceled'
What It Means to Get 'Canceled'
Show’s over, folks. Time to go home.
Statistics for cancel
Last Updated
16 Nov 2019
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Cite this Entry
“Cancel.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cancel. Accessed 22 November 2019.
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More Definitions for cancel
cancel
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of cancel
: to stop doing or planning to do (something) : to decide that something (such as a game, performance, etc.) will not happen
: to cause (something) to end or no longer produce a certain effect : to stop (something) from being effective or valid
: to put a mark with a set of ink lines on something (such as a stamp) so that it cannot be used again
cancel
verb
[ˈkan(t)-səl]
canceled or cancelled; canceling or cancelling\ ˈkan(t)-s(ə-)liŋ \
Definition of cancel
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : to decide not to conduct or perform (something planned or expected) usually without expectation of conducting or performing it at a later time
//cancel a football game
//cancel a football game
b : to destroy the force, effectiveness, or validity of : annul
//cancel a magazine subscription a canceled check
//cancel a magazine subscription a canceled check
c : to match in force or effect : offset —often used with outhis irritability canceled out his natural kindness— Osbert Sitwell
d : to bring to nothingness : destroy
2 : to deface (a postage or revenue stamp) especially with a set of ink lines so as to invalidate for reuse
3a : to remove (a common divisor) from numerator and denominator
b : to remove (equivalents) on opposite sides of an equation or account
: to neutralize each other's strength or effect : counterbalance the various pressure groups to a large degree canceled out— J. B. Conant
Other Words from cancel
Verb
cancelable or cancellable \ ˈkan(t)-s(ə-)lə-bəl \ adjective
canceler or canceller \ ˈkan(t)-s(ə-)lər \ noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for dainty
Synonyms: Verb
Synonyms: Antonyms:verb
Recent Examples on the Web
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
//The National Weather Service canceled a winter storm warning late Tuesday night for eastern Cuyahoga County, as well as Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake counties.
— Cliff Pinckard, cleveland, "Heavy lake-effect snow still possible overnight east of Cleveland," 13 Nov. 2019
//More than 500 incoming and outgoing flights were delayed or canceled Tuesday, according to the tracking site Flight Aware.
— Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, "Cities across U.S. experience record lows as arctic blast brings snow and ice," 12 Nov. 2019
//More than 400 schools and education centers across New South Wales, and a number in neighboring Queensland, canceled classes Tuesday.
— BostonGlobe.com, "Australia confronts ‘catastrophic’ fire conditions - The Boston Globe," 12 Nov. 2019
//Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., canceled races, facing temperatures that were not fit for man or beast.
— John Ismay, New York Times, "The Arctic Plunge: From Feeling Like 92 to Freezing in a Day," 12 Nov. 2019
//The previous Tuesday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr canceled a practice, in part to ensure that Lee wouldn’t have to count the day against his 45-day limit.
— Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, "Warriors’ Damion Lee to miss at least 2 weeks with broken hand," 12 Nov. 2019
//The university canceled classes and graduation ceremonies scheduled for the afternoon, while the student union called on students to partake in memorial services.
— Author: Casey Quackenbush, Anchorage Daily News, "With student’s death, Hong Kong uprising enters a perilous new phase," 8 Nov. 2019
//Former Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office canceled more than 1.4 million voter registrations during his tenure, and more than 500,000 in 2017 alone – the largest single voter purge in U.S. history.
— Tracey Ross, Essence, "Valuing Our Votes," 8 Nov. 2019
//Checking off the boxes for comfortable design, terrific sound, ANC or active noise canceling, a transparency mode, long battery life, easy controls and an intuitive setup thanks to the Apple H1 chip.
— Jacob Krol, CNN Underscored, "Apple's newest Airpods are already on sale," 6 Nov. 2019
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
//No one likes a bully, and in this age of cancel culture, the behavior can have dramatic consequences.
— Frederick Reimers, Outside Online, "Why Thousands of People Are Mad at Backcountry," 6 Nov. 2019
//The cancel-school petitions have been posted from around the country.
— Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, "Alabama students launch petition to cancel school the Friday after Halloween," 28 Oct. 2019
//Sarah Silverman spoke out about cancel culture, the need for empathy and mental health awareness across a public appearance and documentary this past week.
— BostonGlobe.com, "Sarah Silverman," 14 Oct. 2019
//The episode is being held up as the latest example of cancel culture, in which people, usually celebrities, are publicly shunned and boycotted after allegations of problematic behavior come to light.
— Scottie Andrew And Christina Zdanowicz, CNN, "He raised millions in donations through beer money. Then his old racist tweets surfaced," 26 Sep. 2019
//But conservatism’s version of cancel culture may be distinct from the Left’s version in one important way.
— Ross Douthat, National Review, "Horror-Comedy Ready or Not Plays on Primal Human Fears," 12 Sep. 2019
//The Department of Public Health has recommended that communities identified as critical cancel or reschedule outdoor activities that occur from dusk to dawn.
— Hanna Krueger, BostonGlobe.com, "No Friday night lights: High school games moved for communities at critical risk for EEE," 5 Sep. 2019
//In today’s mainstream comedy of liberal partisanship and fear of cancel culture, only the gutless are trustworthy.
— Peter Spiliakos, National Review, "The Simpsons and the Cowardice of Tribal Comedy," 28 Aug. 2019
//But the chilling effect of cancel culture is arguably worse than that of more official forms of censorship.
— Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, "Pavlik Morozov Is the Patron Saint of Cancel Culture," 2 July 2019
First Known Use of cancel
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1b
Noun
1806, in the meaning defined at sense 1
History and Etymology for cancel
Verb and Noun
Middle English cancellen, from Anglo-French canceller, chanceller, from Late Latin cancellare, from Latin, to make like a lattice, from cancelli (plural), diminutive of cancer lattice, probably alteration of carcer prison
Dictionary Entries near cancel
Phrases Related to cancel
More Synonyms and Antonyms ofcancel
Synonyms & Antonyms of cancel
1
to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to)
- please call to cancel your appointment with the dentist if you can't make it
Synonyms for cancel
Words Related to cancel
Near Antonyms for cancel
Antonyms for cancel
2
to put an end to by formal action
- the agreement can be canceled by either side with a formal written notice
Synonyms for cancel
Words Related to cancel
Phrases Synonymous with cancel
Near Antonyms for cancel
3
to show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it
- canceled the check and wrote a new one
Synonyms for cancel
Words Related to cancel
Near Antonyms for cancel
4
to destroy all traces of
- it seemed as though all honor and decency had been canceled by the war's new moral order
Synonyms for cancel
Words Related to cancel
Near Antonyms for cancel
More Definitions forcancel
cancel
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of cancel
: to stop doing or planning to do (something) : to decide that something (such as a game, performance, etc.) will not happen
: to cause (something) to end or no longer produce a certain effect : to stop (something) from being effective or valid
: to put a mark with a set of ink lines on something (such as a stamp) so that it cannot be used again
cancel
verbcan·cel | \ ˈkan-səl \
canceled or cancelled; canceling or cancelling
Kids Definition of cancel
1 : to take back : stop from being in effect
//She canceled the order.
//She canceled the order.
2 : to cause to not happen
//I hoped for anything that could cancel the dance.— Ann M. Martin, Baby-sitters' Winter Vacation
//I hoped for anything that could cancel the dance.— Ann M. Martin, Baby-sitters' Winter Vacation
3 : to be equal in force or importance but have opposite effect
//The disadvantages of the plan canceled out the advantages.
//The disadvantages of the plan canceled out the advantages.
4 : to remove (a common divisor) from numerator and denominator : remove (equivalents) on opposite sides of an equation
5 : to cross out or strike out with a line
//He canceled what he had written.
//He canceled what he had written.
6 : to mark (as a postage stamp) so as to make impossible to use again
cancel
transitive verbcan·cel
canceled or cancelled; canceling or cancelling
Legal Definition of cancel
1 : to destroy the force, validity, or effectiveness of: as
a : to render (one's will or a provision in one's will) ineffective by purposely making marks through or otherwise marring the text of — compare revoke
Note: The text of the will or of the will's provision need not be rendered illegible in order for a court to find that there was an intent to cancel it.
b : to make (a negotiable instrument) unenforceable especially by purposely marking through or otherwise marring the words or signature of
Note: As stated in section 3-604 of the Uniform Commercial Code, a party that is entitled to enforce a negotiable instrument may cancel the instrument, whether or not for consideration, and discharge the obligation of the other party to pay.
c : to mark (a check) to indicate that payment has been made by the bank
Note: A check is no longer negotiable once it has been cancelled.
d : to withdraw an agreement to honor (a letter of credit)
//when an issuer wrongfully cancels or otherwise repudiates a credit before presentment of a draft — Uniform Commercial Code
//when an issuer wrongfully cancels or otherwise repudiates a credit before presentment of a draft — Uniform Commercial Code
2 : to put an end to (a contract): as
a : to end (a contract) by discharging the other party from obligations as yet unperformed
b : to end (a contract) in accordance with the provisions of U.C.C. section 2-106 or a similar statute because the other party has breached — compare rescind, terminate
Note: Section 2-106 provides that a party that cancels a contract because of the other party's breach is entitled to seek remedies for breach of all or part of the contract.
c : to put an end to (a lease contract) because of the default of the other party
Note: Under U.C.C. section 2A-505, a party that cancels because of the other party's default may seek remedies for the default of all or any unperformed part of the lease contract.
3 : to terminate (an insurance policy) before the end of the policy period usually as allowed by policy provisions
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Time Traveler for cancel
The first known use of cancel was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century