can
auxiliary verb
to be able to; have the ability, power, or skill to.
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can
1 American
[kan, kuhn]
/ kæn, kən /
auxiliary verb
-
can,
present (3rd person singular)
-
could
past
-
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.
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may; have permission to.
Can I speak to you for a moment?
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to have the possibility.
A coin can land on either side.
verb (used with or without object)
-
can,
present (3rd person singular)
-
could,
past, past participle
-
cunning
present participle
can
2
American
[kan]
/ kæn /
noun
-
cans
plural
-
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.
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Slang: Sometimes Vulgar. buttocks.
-
Slang. cans, a set of headphones designed to cover the ears.
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Military Slang.
-
a depth charge.
-
a destroyer.
-
verb (used with object)
canned,
canning
-
to preserve by sealing in a can, jar, etc.
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Slang. to dismiss; fire.
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Slang. to throw (something) away.
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Slang. to put a stop to.
Can that noise!
-
to record, as on film or tape.
idioms
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carry the can, to take the responsibility.
-
in the can, recorded on film; completed.
The movie is in the can and ready for release.
can.
3
American
abbreviation
-
canceled.
-
canon.
-
canto.
Can.
4
American
abbreviation
-
Canada.
-
Canadian.
can
1
British
/ kæn /
noun
-
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
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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
-
verb
-
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
can
2
British
/ kæn, kən /
verb
-
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
Can.
3
British
abbreviation
-
Canada
-
Canadian
can
More Idioms
Usage
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.
Commonly Confused
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.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
cansimple
-
have couldperfect
-
has couldperfect
-
am cunningprogressive
-
are cunningprogressive
-
is cunningprogressive
-
have been cunningperfect progressive
-
has been cunningperfect progressive
Past
-
couldsimple
-
had couldperfect
-
was cunningprogressive
-
were cunningprogressive
-
had been cunningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of can1
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
Origin of can2
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”
Explanation
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."
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:
The passenger’s full route can be found here, though officials noted the departure and arrival times are estimates, as they reflect train and bus schedules.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Attorney’s Office, and the Secret Service, and say ‘No, I’m doing what I want,’” Griffin offered, then so can everyone else.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
"This is fantastic news for wildlife and a wonderful example of how gifts in wills can create lasting change for nature," Jeff Sim of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust said.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Over the past few weeks she’s received questions about whether auditors can speak freely without retaliation from the labs and if evaluators can gain sufficient access to the necessary materials needed to conduct an audit.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
There is only so much you can observe from behind shuttered windows.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
“We need to get sick people out of their communities as fast as we can. We are doing our best to work with local leaders; otherwise, they will continue infecting others,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Asked if his team can continue to climb, Vonnahme said, “I think we can. But most importantly, we have to try. Everybody wants us to continue to elevate.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
"You try to offer support as much as you can. You want to be close to those who are suffering. You notice a lot of sadness and despair."
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
"I try to be as authentic as I can. I believe in being genuine," Eala said.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
“Of course I can. I’m happy to drive my best granddaughter wherever she needs to go.”
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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
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 Asa Gray
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 George Bell
If, however, there is soreness of the throat, redness and soreness of the tonsils, palate, and fauces, or soreness of the larynx, with hoarseness, Arum triphyllum and Hydrastus Can. are the surest remedies.
From An Epitome of the Homeopathic Healing Art Containing the New Discoveries and Improvements to the Present Time by B. L. (Benjamin L.) Hill
The sound design of “Voices” is raw and the rumored $50,000 budget so strapped that minor period piece inconsistencies like cheap plastic trash cans sneak into the frame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
There are puck-shaped cans that hide under seats and ones that clip to air-conditioner vents, blowing “Very Cherry” and “Hawaiian Aloha” into riders’ faces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
At Burning Man, there are no garbage cans.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
When AFP visited, she was carrying water in large, plastic jerry cans and hand-washing clothes in a bowl on the dirt floor.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
We clean off shelves jammed with empty cans of sealant, and half-full cans of paint, and tubs filled with assorted nails and screws.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Although Pantoja officially lost that night, the injury changed the course of the fight before it could truly get underway.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
An AFP journalist reported that firefighters could be seen trying to extinguish the flames of a burnt-out fuel tank belonging to state oil and gas company Aramco.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Some say it could take three or four increases.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
When she finally saw the twins again, in Isfahan’s female prison, their mother could hardly recognize them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
If speech is localized on these two spots, how could someone with massive frontal lobe injuries—Phineas Gage, for example—speak?
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
The headline on the front page of the Daily Star reads: "Andy: I have a cunning plan..."
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 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
"King George, as you know, never set foot in America. And please rest assured, ladies and gentlemen, I am not here as part of some cunning rearguard action."
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026
“Now, Marmee, that is very cunning of you to turn our own stories against us, and give us a sermon instead of a romance!” cried Meg.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
He’s a partial owner of the canned yerba mate brand Mateina, but he “loves it without bias.”
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
It wants us to stockpile canned food and drinking water, strengthen our civic resilience, and plan for the possibility of war.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The ruling indicates total imports of canned vegetables into Canada rose in 2025 by 28% from the previous year, with the U.S. accounting for a substantial portion of the total volume growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Instead, I’ve been looking at plane tickets, researching heart failure and ordering groceries that, at first, didn’t make much sense together: zucchini, canned pumpkin, chocolate chunks, sticks of cold salted butter.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
A huge bowl of cut squashes stood ready to be canned next.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
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
Diageo recently committed a £41m investment to both packaging sites, installing a new canning line in Belfast and upgrading its bottling capability in Runcorn.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025
Tinned fish has been around for centuries, dating all the way back to the late 1700s when canning and preserving foods were budding inventions.
From Salon ● Apr. 7, 2025
The huge pot steamed and rattled as the glass jars boiled, to be sterile for the day’s canning.
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.
