annul
Americanverb (used with object)
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annuls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
annulled,
past participle, past
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annulling
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
annulsimple
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annulssimple
-
have annulledperfect
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has annulledperfect
-
am annullingprogressive
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are annullingprogressive
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is annullingprogressive
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have been annullingperfect progressive
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has been annullingperfect progressive
Past
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annulledsimple
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had annulledperfect
-
was annullingprogressive
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were annullingprogressive
-
had been annullingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of annul
1375–1425; late Middle English < Anglo-French annuler < Late Latin adnūllāre render null (calque of Greek exoudeneîn ), equivalent to ad- ad- + -nullāre, verbal derivative of Latin nūllus no, not any
Explanation
When a celebrity wakes up in Las Vegas with a mysterious wedding ring on her finger, the first thing she’ll probably want to do is annul the marriage. That will declare it invalid and officially cancel the whole deal. Annul, which means “to cancel” or “to invalidate,” is usually used in the context of politics or marriage. New government officials often want to annul laws and policies of the previous post-holder, effectively reversing their work. When you annul a marriage, you are officially declaring it invalid, as if it never happened. In the case of the unfortunate celebrity marriage, however, it could be difficult to completely erase all record of the event — especially if the tabloids hear about it.
Vocabulary lists containing annul
"Revolution 2.0," Vocabulary from the memoir
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Chapter 20: Renaissance and Reformation
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"A Story Without an End" by Mark Twain
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A legal bid by some residents to annul all transactions since Ravi's arrival in 2021 was rejected by the Madras High Court last year, but several other cases are ongoing.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
Klein & Wilson, a law firm based in Newport Beach, Calif., outlines the reasons you can revoke or annul a contract.
From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026
Andros immediately sought to annul the move on grounds that only he had the authority to name a thanksgiving day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025
Judges on the Constitutional Council dismissed eight petitions, citing insufficient evidence of irregularities or a lack of jurisdiction to annul results.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2025
No, I think, but even if it were, it turned out to be Mitt, some wondrous thing, who will forever annul any of our regret.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
It is ironic that Parrott has a penchant for tattoos - his injury time winner against Hungary on Sunday is a moment now permanently inked in the annuls of Irish football.
From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2025
India’s child marriage law deems the act of marrying below adult age illegal, but the marriage itself is valid until either party annuls it once they reach adulthood.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 10, 2023
As of Friday it annuls all convictions for political, ideological, religious beliefs or sexual orientation.
From Reuters ● Oct. 20, 2022
Sept. 7: Mexico’s Supreme Court unanimously annuls portions of a law in Coahuila — a state on the Texas border — that had made abortion a criminal act.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2021
Mr. Bowles asserts it to be "an unquestioned doctrine of the Law of Nations that war abrogates and annuls treaty obligations between belligerents."
From Letters to "The Times" upon War and Neutrality (1881-1920) by Sir Thomas Erskine Holland
But exam papers have been repeatedly leaked and exams annulled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Greenspan’s marriage was annulled amicably after a year, but his friendship with Rand lasted until her death in 1982.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
The Seoul race was marred by ballot shortages that disrupted voting and prompted calls for the election to be annulled.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
Their marriage was annulled the following November, months before “Control” was released.
From Salon ● Apr. 11, 2026
“Cause if'n you do, or if’n you have a mind to after you git over bein’ so mad at him, why, we could git this’n annulled.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Dieudonne Boutrin, an activist from the overseas territory of Martinique who is descended from enslaved people, said annulling the Black Code should have been done ages ago.
From Barron's ● May 28, 2026
Lore Segal was 10 years old in 1938 when Nazi Germany annexed Austria and began the process of annulling the citizenships and confiscating the properties of Jewish families such as her own.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
But on Saturday, just hours after Ali Bongo was announced as the winner of a disputed presidential election, the military announced it was annulling the results and taking over.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2023
Nepal's Supreme Court ruled on Friday that deputy prime minister Rabi Lamichhane had stood for election with invalid citizenship papers, annulling his status as a lawmaker and effectively removing him from office.
From Reuters ● Jan. 28, 2023
Surely, there will be repercussions, but will they go so far as Coin annulling our agreement for the victors’ immunity?
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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.
