Showing results for can opener. Search instead for package openers.

can opener

American

noun

a manual device or small electric appliance for opening cans.

can-opener British

noun

another name for tin-opener

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of can opener

First recorded in 1865–70

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.

One character, for reasons you’ll observe, wordlessly switches from soup cans that require them to use a can opener to ones with a pull tab.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 7, 2025

A manual can opener is a must for accessing canned goods, while a hand-crank food processor can help with basic meal prep.

From Salon • Oct. 10, 2024

His AK-47 is slung over his shoulder; on his body armour hangs a spoon, a can opener, and a small pair of pliers.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2023

This kit should include drinking water, nonperishable foods, a manual can opener, flashlight and batteries, a first-aid kit, a battery-powered radio, hygiene products and local maps, to begin with.

From Seattle Times • May 16, 2022

But Bryce just shakes his head, slips out from under my arm, and goes back to fiddling with the can opener.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023