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• cant
  cant

  noun

  insincere, especially conventional expressions of enthusiasm for high ideals, goodness, or piety.
• can't
  can't

  contraction of cannot.
• Cant.
  Cant.

  abbreviation

  Canterbury.

cant

¹ American  

[kant] / kænt /

noun

1. insincere, especially conventional expressions of enthusiasm for high ideals, goodness, or piety.

   Synonyms:

   humbug, pretense, sham, hypocrisy

2. the private language of the underworld.

3. the phraseology peculiar to a particular class, party, profession, etc..

   the cant of the fashion industry.

4. whining or singsong speech, especially of beggars.

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verb (used without object)

1. to talk hypocritically.

2. to speak in the whining or singsong tone of a beggar; beg.

cant ² American  

[kant] / kænt /

noun

1. a salient angle.

2. a sudden movement that tilts or overturns a thing.

3. a slanting or tilted position.

4. an oblique line or surface, as one formed by cutting off the corner of a square of cube.

5. an oblique or slanting face of anything.

6. Civil Engineering. bank.

7. a sudden pitch or toss.

8. Also called flitch. a partly trimmed log.

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adjective

1. oblique or slanting.

verb (used with object)

1. to bevel; form an oblique surface upon.

2. to put in an oblique position; tilt; tip.

3. to throw with a sudden jerk.

verb (used without object)

1. to take or have an inclined position; tilt; tip.

cant ³ American  

[kahnt] / kɑnt /

adjective

Scot. and North England.

1. hearty; merry.

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can't ⁴ American  

[kant, kahnt] / kænt, kɑnt /

1. contraction of cannot.

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Cant. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. Canterbury.

2. Cantonese.

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cant ¹ British  

/ kænt /

noun

1. inclination from a vertical or horizontal plane; slope; slant

2. a sudden movement that tilts or turns something

3. the angle or tilt thus caused

4. a corner or outer angle, esp of a building

5. an oblique or slanting surface, edge, or line

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verb

1. to tip, tilt, or overturn, esp with a sudden jerk

2. to set in an oblique position

3. another word for bevel

adjective

1. oblique; slanting

2. having flat surfaces and without curves

cant ² British  

/ kænt /

noun

1. insincere talk, esp concerning religion or morals; pious platitudes

2. stock phrases that have become meaningless through repetition

3. specialized vocabulary of a particular group, such as thieves, journalists, or lawyers; jargon

4. singsong whining speech, as used by beggars

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verb

1. (intr) to speak in or use cant

Cant. ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Canterbury

2. Bible Canticles

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cant ⁴ British  

/ kɑːnt /

adjective

1. dialect lusty; merry; hearty

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can't ⁵ British  

/ kɑːnt /

contraction

1. cannot

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can't Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing can't

• beggars can't be choosers
• can
• if you can't beat them, join them
• you can't take it with you
• you can't win them all

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Spelling

See cannot.

Usage

See contraction.

Other Word Forms

• canter
  noun
• cantic
  adjective
• cantingly
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of cant¹

First recorded in 1495–1505; from Latin base cant- in cantus “song,” canticus “singsong,” etc., whence Old English cantere “singer,” cantic “song”; see chant

Origin of cant²

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English: “side, part, border,” from Anglo-French cant, Old French chant, from an unrecorded Romance cantu(m) with the related senses “rim, border” and “angle corner,” probably from Celtic; compare Latin cant(h)us “tire, iron tire” (from Celtic kantos ), Welsh cant “periphery, rim, felloe” cf. canteen, cantle, canton

Origin of cant³

First recorded in 1325–1375; Middle English cant, kant, kaunt “bold, brave, fierce,” from Low German kant “merry, bold”

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Compare meaning

How does cant compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• can't vs. cannot

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Explanation

Cant is language repeated so often and so mechanically that it's essentially empty of meaning. Cant can also mean the specialized jargon of a particular group — like the "cant of piracy" (e.g., Ahoy! Lubber! Arrr!). Possible sources for cant exist in both Irish Gaelic and Latin, and the meanings of both are similar: caint is "speech," while cantare is "to sing." In broader English, the word was first used to mock the singing of monks. As it evolved, cant became the whining of beggars and then the secret language of thieves, and the negative connotations persist in modern usage. As a verb, cant has a completely different meaning: it means to lean or tilt to one side.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cant can't Cant.

"I cant believe that I just saw that."

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

He writes with clarity and a welcome lack of cant, and he has an eye for the telling detail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Davidson referenced a New York Times article about trouble with their business venture, but said, “I cant spend $5 on a paywall when I have a kid on the way.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2025

“Trying to do the least with the most, him being 58. and he doesn’t want to help me financially. also he turns everything on you cant take ownership for anything,” said another.

From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2024

“Do you all know this little girl? She sort of took up with me and I cant find where she lives.”

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner

As someone who has been wearing glasses since she was four or five, Babcock can’t quite understand the big deal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

But all the AI bots can’t undo the facts of Anakin’s story.

From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2026

"Some people think that it's weird that I can fly planes, but I can't drive a car, I mean I can but, a lot of people think it's funny."

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

"We don't even have the right to vote, we can't do anything, so this is our only way of expressing ourselves," a high school student in northwestern Paris said on condition of anonymity.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

I should be annoyed, but I can’t help but marvel at how certain she is of herself.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Cant. among the Britaines, vnder Lucius king of Britaine, about the yeare of our sauior, 179.

From Chronicles (1 of 6): The Historie of England (1 of 8) From the Time That It Was First Inhabited, Vntill the Time That It Was Last Conquered: Wherein the Sundrie Alterations of the State Vnder Forren People Is Declared; And Other Manifold Observations Remembred by Raphael Holinshed

An elective right, by his people's choice and surrender, having a crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, Cant. iii. last verse.

From A Hind Let Loose Or, An Historical Representation of the Testimonies of the Church of Scotland for the Interest of Christ. With the True State Thereof in All Its Periods by Alexander Shields

The hairs of the Woman contain colors upon colors, as it is written, Cant. vii.

From Hebrew Literature by Epiphanius Wilson

He preached his last public sermon from Cant. i.

From Biographia Scoticana (Scots Worthies) A Brief Historical Account of the Lives, Characters, and Memorable Transactions of the Most Eminent Scots Worthies by John Howie

This is the north wind and the south wind that bloweth upon the garden, Cant. iv.

From Christ: The Way, the Truth, and the Life by John (of Wamphray) Brown

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