canister

American  

[kan-uh-ster] / ˈkæn ə stər /

noun

canisters plural

1. a small box or jar, often one of a kitchen set, for holding tea, coffee, flour, and sugar.

2. Also called canister shot.  case shot.

3. the part of a gas mask containing the neutralizing substances through which poisoned air is filtered.

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canister British  

/ ˈkænɪstə /

noun

1. a container, usually made of metal, in which dry food, such as tea or coffee, is stored

2. 1. a type of shrapnel shell for firing from a cannon

   2. Also called: canister shot.   case shot.  the shot or shrapnel packed inside this

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• canisters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of canister

1670–80; < Latin canistrum wicker basket < Greek kánastron, derivative of kánna reed ( see cane), with -astron, variant of -tron suffix of instrument (probably from verbal derivatives, as stégastron covering, from stegázein to cover)

Explanation

A canister is a small container with a lid, often made of metal. You might keep a canister of sugar in your kitchen next to a canister of tea. Typically, a canister is round and has a fitted lid — while kitchen canisters are usually metal, the canisters that hold a roll of camera film are made of plastic. Another type of canister is a cylinder that's packed with shot or filled with pressurized gas and shot out of a weapon. In the 15th century, the word meant "basket," from the Latin canistrum, "wicker basket," with its Greek root kanystron, "basket made of reeds." The meaning of canister probably changed to "metal container" because of the word can.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

canister canisters

It was rescued and saved by Rick Flagan, a professor of chemical engineering and environmental science, who found it in a tin film canister in a Caltech closet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026

Five people were taken to hospital after a gas canister exploded during a charity event at a farm in Cheshire.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026

“Third warning. Gas, gas, gas,” Bovino says, then tossing the canister and pushing people away from the intersection.

From Salon ● Jan. 22, 2026

In the confrontation that followed, one of the agents tossed a tear-gas canister, which an employee kicked under their vehicle, enveloping it with noxious fumes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026

I remembered the canister full of combs in the barbershop.

From "Milkweed" by Jerry Spinelli

Prosecutors say Diaz was seen leaving and returning to the warehouse with two gas canisters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

The canisters will be lowered into holes drilled in the tunnels, before the holes are filled with bentonite clay to seal them, Parviainen explained.

From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026

Some dusted off old camping stoves and refilled oil canisters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026

No injuries were reported, but several explosions - due to gas canisters on board the ambulances - caused windows of nearby buildings to shatter, while some residents were evacuated.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026

Helping them put up my shelter, I anchored it to some discarded oxygen canisters wedged beneath the largest rocks I could lift, then dove inside to wait for my teammates and warm my icy hands.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

• bag
• bottle
• bowl
• box
• bucket
• can
• capsule
• carton
• crate
• dish
• jar
• jug
• kettle
• package
• packet
• pail
• pot
• pouch
• sack
• storage