to be able to; have the ability, power, or skill to.
She can solve the problem easily, I'm sure.
to know how to.
He can play chess, although he's not particularly good at it.
to have the power or means to.
A dictator can impose his will on the people.
to have the right or qualifications to.
He can change whatever he wishes in the script.
may; have permission to.
Can I speak to you for a moment?
to have the possibility.
A coin can land on either side.
a sealed container for food, beverages, etc., as of aluminum, sheet iron coated with tin, or other metal.
a can of soup.
a receptacle for garbage, ashes, etc..
a trash can.
a bucket, pail, or other container for holding or carrying liquids.
water can.
a drinking cup; tankard.
a metal or plastic container for holding film on cores or reels.
Slang. jail.
He's been in the can for a week.
Slang: Sometimes Vulgar. buttocks.
Slang. cans, a set of headphones designed to cover the ears.
Military Slang.
a depth charge.
a destroyer.
to preserve by sealing in a can, jar, etc.
Slang. to dismiss; fire.
Slang. to throw (something) away.
Slang. to put a stop to.
Can that noise!
to record, as on film or tape.
carry the can, to take the responsibility.
in the can, recorded on film; completed.
The movie is in the can and ready for release.
canceled.
canon.
canto.
Canada.
Canadian.
a container, esp for liquids, usually of thin sheet metal
a petrol can
beer can
another name (esp US) for tin
Also called: canful. the contents of a can or the amount a can will hold
a slang word for prison
a slang word for toilet or buttocks See toilet
navy a slang word for destroyer
slang navy a depth charge
a shallow cylindrical metal container of varying size used for storing and handling film
informal a complicated problem
See carry
(of a film, piece of music, etc) having been recorded, processed, edited, etc
informal arranged or agreed
the contract is almost in the can
to put (food, etc) into a can or cans; preserve in a can
slang (tr) to dismiss from a job
informal (tr) to stop (doing something annoying or making an annoying noise) (esp in the phrase can it! )
informal (tr) to reject or discard
used as an auxiliary to indicate ability, skill, or fitness to perform a task
I can run a mile in under four minutes
used as an auxiliary to indicate permission or the right to something
can I have a drink?
used as an auxiliary to indicate knowledge of how to do something
he can speak three languages fluently
used as an auxiliary to indicate the possibility, opportunity, or likelihood
my trainer says I can win the race if I really work hard
Canada
Canadian
Can but and cannot but are formal and now somewhat old-fashioned expressions suggesting that there is no possible alternative to doing something. Can but is equivalent to can only: We can but do our best. Cannot but is the equivalent of cannot help but: We cannot but protest against these injustices. See also help.
Can1 and may1 are frequently but not always interchangeable in senses indicating possibility: A power failure can (or may ) occur at any time. Despite the insistence by some, that can means only “to be able” and may means “to be permitted,” both are regularly used in seeking or granting permission: Can (or May ) I borrow your glue gun? You can (or may ) use it tomorrow. Sentences using can occur chiefly in spoken English. May in this sense occurs more frequently in formal contexts: May I address the court, Your Honor? In negative constructions, can't or cannot is more common than may not : You can't have it today. I need it myself. The contraction mayn't is rare.
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English, present indicative singular 1st, 3rd person of cunnan “to know, know how”; cognate with German, Old Norse, Gothic kann; see ken, know 1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English canne, can(e), Old English canne, cognate with German Kanne, Old Norse kanna, all perhaps from West Germanic; compare Late Latin canna “small vessel”
A can is a metal container, usually cylindrical in shape, which has an airtight seal when it's new. All kinds of goods come in cans, from fruit and vegetables to paint and oil. The verb can means to preserve food in a can or glass jar. If your garden produces more tomatoes than you can possibly eat, you might make salsa and can it to eat all winter long. Can is also a slang word with several meanings. It means rear end, toilet, and it also means to fire someone: "Watch out, the boss canned three people yesterday! You could be next."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But as West Hollywood discovered this month, sometimes the pipes rupture well before help can arrive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Surge, which figures we must be living in truly dark times if even a trip to Taco Bell can make you feel gross afterward.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026
"It's impossible to do work and manage childcare at home, the only thing you can make them do is watch TV which is terrible," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Officials have to design the project, get the necessary approvals and permits and coordinate with other departments before work can begin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
In the winter of 1850, Phineas goes to Boston so the doctors there can see for themselves.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
"I have dedicated my life to trying to honour my daughter's legacy and help others wherever I can. To support children and families facing childhood cancer."
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
It reads: “It’s like an AP honors U.S. history book packed onto a can. Not a tiny Euro can… an American-size 16oz can!”
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
“Plan on retiring at 62, but keep working as long as you can. No one ever says, ‘I have too much money.’
From MarketWatch ● May 29, 2026
"I tried to look out in the ocean as many times as I can. I love being out here," said Morikawa, of the delay.
From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026
“No, I’m certain I can. But I’ll need you to do something difficult. Something the reports in this file say you’re completely incapable of.”
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
When the apartment finally went quiet, I opened my Notes app and typed: “You. Can. Have. It. All.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
Max Dufour Montreal, Can., backside 360 kickflip tail grab to fakie 3.
From Time Magazine Archive
Can., 56., says that by the canon law, he that is archipresbyter is also called dean.
From Notes and Queries, Number 231, April 1, 1854 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. by Bell, George
Salt-marshes and shores, Can. to Ga.—Var. elòdes, Gray, slender, often low and simple; leaves thickish, long, narrowly linear, entire, the uppermost small and bract-like; scales narrow, with short and mostly spreading acutish tips.
From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Gray, Asa
Salt and brackish places, on the coast from Can. to Va., along the Great Lakes, and far westward.—Var. littoràle, Gray.
From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Gray, Asa
The floors of the towers are still littered with empty cans of European-made spray paint made for graffiti artists, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Chief Executive Timothy Donahue said that global beverage can demand will continue to rise as consumers prefer aluminum cans as the most sustainable beverage packaging option.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The maker of aluminum cans and aerosol containers said global beverage can volumes increased 5%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Some popular drinks brands contain more caffeine than two cups of coffee or four cans of cola.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
After I scavenge the whole lot for cans, it’s time to feed my coyote.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Though their big-screen adventures could not capture the comedic chaos of their stage act, Martin and Lewis transformed even the most pedestrian screenplay into box-office gold.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
“I think that that’s relatively unlikely, at least in the near term, unless there’s a chance that it could potentially help him in the midterm.”
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
There's scant to no clinical evidence supporting such promises, and doctors have voiced concern that endorsing weakly understood if trendy substances could direct patients away from treatments backed by evidence.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
The charges against Morales could change at arraignment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
This could be almost any street in Davey.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
The story of the “Wooden Horse,” as most translations call it, gets only brief references in Homer’s epic, cited in passing as an example of Odysseus’s cunning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Marsh described Scatchard as "devious, cunning and untruthful".
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
He is cunning, not intelligent — something he unwittingly proves every time he claims that passing a basic mental competency test shows his brilliance.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
In the aughts, Chase also appeared in more than 20 episodes of the Fox sitcom “Oliver Beene” and over 30 episodes of HBO’s Emmy-nominated Mormon family drama “Big Love” as cunning teenager Rhonda Volmer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
So they sent Odysseus, the master of crafty cunning, to get them by trickery.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
We had one event in a fraternity house backyard in Virginia, we had events in Mexico City and Montreal … canned food drives, blood drives or, you know, register to vote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
He’s pretty strong, so he’s capable of lifting lots of canned goods, but he’ll have the whole football team on hand for support.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
"The demand for water and canned goods has increased since this morning amid fears that services or supply chains will be affected," Kuwait resident Hassan Rayan, 61, said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
She might even serve Dinty Moore canned beef stew, something an uber-fan like Rachel knows the production team of the original series used instead of traditional frontier meals like squirrel stew.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
They could only buy essentials at the grocery store, like milk, bread, and canned soup.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
While the canning process preserved the outer structure of the worms, it destroyed the internal features scientists would need to identify specific species.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 1, 2026
Chicken of the Sea International is studying whether the ruling could help revive production at a Georgia canning plant that relies on imported tuna.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026
Guinness 0.0 products are canned in the Belfast factory while the Runcorn facility carries out the kegging, bottling and canning of Guinness Draught products.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025
Like many canners, Dash relies on canning to make ends meet, but it is not his only income.
From Slate ● Nov. 27, 2024
Only her grandmother was in the kitchen, sitting with a cup of tea at the table, while two canning pots rattled on the stove.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
