cancel

American  

[kan-suhl] / ˈkæn səl /

verb (used with object)

canceled, canceling, cancelled, cancelling

1. to make void, as a contract or other obligation; annul: to cancel a magazine subscription.

   to cancel a hotel reservation;

   to cancel a magazine subscription.

   Synonyms:

   rescind, countermand

2. to decide or announce that a planned event will not take place; call off.

   to cancel a meeting.

3. to mark or perforate (a postage stamp, admission ticket, etc.) so as to render invalid for reuse.

4. to neutralize; compensate for; counterbalance.

   His sincere apology canceled his sarcastic remark.

5. to publicly reject, boycott, or no longer support (a person or group) because of socially or morally unacceptable views or actions.

   Fans have been quick to cancel their favorite rapper or other celebrity.

6. Accounting.

   1. to close (an account) by crediting or paying all outstanding charges.

      He plans to cancel his account at the department store.

   2. to eliminate or offset (a debit, credit, etc.) with an entry for an equal amount on the opposite side of a ledger, as when a payment is received on a debt.

7. Mathematics. to eliminate by striking out a factor common to both the denominator and numerator of a fraction, equivalent terms on opposite sides of an equation, etc.

8. to cross out (words, letters, etc.) by drawing a line over the item.

9. Printing. to omit.

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verb (used without object)

canceled, canceling, cancelled, cancelling

1. to counterbalance or compensate for one another; become neutralized (often followed byout ).

   The pros and cons cancel out.

2. Mathematics. (of factors common to both the denominator and numerator of a fraction, certain terms on opposite sides of an equation, etc.) to be equivalent; to allow cancellation.

noun

cancels plural

1. an act of canceling.

2. Printing, Bookbinding.

   1. an omitted passage, page, etc.

   2. a replacement for an omitted part.

cancel British  

/ ˈkænsəl /

verb

1. to order (something already arranged, such as a meeting or event) to be postponed indefinitely; call off

2. to revoke or annul

   the order for the new television set was cancelled

3. to delete (writing, numbers, etc); cross out

   he cancelled his name and substituted hers

4. to mark (a cheque, postage stamp, ticket, etc) with an official stamp or by a perforation to prevent further use

5. to counterbalance; make up for (a deficiency, etc)

   his generosity cancelled out his past unkindness

6. 1. to close (an account) by discharging any outstanding debts

   2. (sometimes foll by out) accounting to eliminate (a debit or credit) by making an offsetting entry on the opposite side of the account

7. maths

   1. to eliminate (numbers, quantities, or terms) as common factors from both the numerator and denominator of a fraction or as equal terms from opposite sides of an equation

   2. (intr) to be able to be eliminated in this way

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noun

1. a new leaf or section of a book replacing a defective one, one containing errors, or one that has been omitted

2. a less common word for cancellation

3. music a US word for natural

Usage

What's the difference between canceled and cancelled? Canceled and cancelled are alternate forms of the past tense of the verb cancel. Canceled is the primary spelling used in American English, while cancelled is the spelling used in British English and preferred in many locations, including in the U. K., Ireland, Australia, and Canada. Perhaps for this reason, cancelled is also occasionally used in American English. This is part of a general British English spelling pattern in which a single letter L at the end of a verb is doubled when the verb is changed to form a different tense, such as by adding -ed for past tense or -ing for continuous tense. So cancelling is used in British English, while canceling is primarily used in American English. This same pattern applies for many words, such as counsel, but not all. When the stress falls on the final syllable, the L is usually doubled (the past tense of propel is typically spelled propelled, for example). Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between canceled and cancelled.

Synonym Usage

Cancel, delete, erase, obliterate indicate that something is no longer to be considered usable or in force. To cancel is to cross something out by stamping a mark over it, drawing lines through it, or the like: to cancel a stamp, a word. To delete is to cross something out from written matter or from matter to be printed, often in accordance with a printer's or proofreader's symbol indicating the material is to be omitted: to delete part of a line. To erase is to remove by scraping or rubbing: to erase a capital letter. To obliterate is to blot out entirely, so as to remove all sign or trace of: to obliterate a record.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• canceler
  noun
• canceller
  noun
• recancel
  verb (used with object)
• cancelable
  adjective
• self-canceled
  adjective
• self-cancelled
  adjective
• uncancelable
  adjective
• uncanceled
  adjective
• uncancellable
  adjective
• uncancelled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cancels
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cancel

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cancellen, cansellen “to annul, revoke,” from Anglo-French canceler, from Old French chanceler “to cross out with X's or parallel lines,” from Medieval Latin cancellāre “to cross out,” from Latin: “to make like a lattice,” derivative of cancellī “latticed barriers, gratings, grilles,” plural of cancellus; see cancellus

Explanation

To cancel means to call off or postpone indefinitely. Which is probably what you would do if the hotel you were planning to stay in has an infestation of bedbugs. Scrub, scratch, or strike down — those are all other ways of saying cancel. People often cancel plans, deciding not to do something they had already scheduled. In math, if the numerator and a denominator of a fraction have common factors you can cancel the factors out, which means delete them. To cancel a debt means to get rid of it. A cancel on a postage stamp is the mark that shows it has been used.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cancel cancels canceled canceling cancelled cancelling

“Well, now I know how it feels when they try to cancel you on the right AND the left,” he wrote on Facebook on Monday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Sony could do the same with games, which is already prompting lawsuits in protest of its decision to cancel physical releases.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

“If you were to cancel your slot, you’d have to wait five or 10 years to get an incremental slot,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

“If you went to the salon a week before your trip and don’t like the way your hair turned out, you can cancel your trip.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

Even the music of a flamenco band did not overpower or even cancel out the clamor and tumult that spilled out of the room.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

The Pentagon cancels a brigade deployment to NATO’s eastern front.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026

That is, if an airline cancels a flight or makes a significant change, travelers are entitled to a full refund if they choose not to fly.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2025

American Battery Technology shares drop sharply after the Department of Energy cancels a $115 million project that would have split the cost equally.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025

“This letter cancels the Stop Work Order issued Feb 18, 2025,” said a memo to Acacia Center for Justice, which is contracted to administer the nationwide program.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2025

It’s just hard to love someone who cancels the cable right before the Walking Dead marathon.

From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander

Ma’s performance was nearly canceled in May due to 25,000 gallons of crude oil that spilled into the L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

The president was set to sign it in late June but abruptly canceled the ceremony.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

Moghal said she was contacted by StubHub and told her tickets would remain canceled, then was later told the tickets would be available one hour before the game.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

The Fed canceled at least two cash shipments at the instruction of the Treasury Department, including one of around $500 million, officials have said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Scoob got in trouble at school, and voilà: trip canceled.

From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone

A recent survey by an anti-monopoly and fair-trade advocacy group, said 44% of Netflix subscribers are considering canceling their subscription.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

The Rams are canceling minicamp and ending their offseason program early, but Sean McVay isn’t the first NFL coach to find minicamp unnecessary.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

Other hassles include hospitals sometimes canceling contracts at the last minute, even after a nurse has arrived in town, said Rachel Altum, who helps run a Facebook group and an annual conference for travel nurses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

And just days after Colbert called that settlement “a big fat bribe” on his own show, CBS announced it was canceling “The Late Show.”

From Salon ● May 27, 2026

“It was awfully kind of you to rearrange your schedule to help me, Theo, when my aunt realized she couldn’t bring it herself, Theo, even though it would mean you canceling other plans.”

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Meanwhile, the CMA has not said how many suppliers have agreed to compensate customers for cancelled orders, how many customers will receive a pay out, or how much they will get.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

India declared a day of national mourning and said that all entertainment events would cancelled during the period.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Japanese airlines cancelled dozens of flights, affecting more than 26,000 passengers.

From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026

"We were originally fully reserved this weekend, but bookings were all cancelled, so it's painful," the 30-year-old said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

That’s how it felt when Macon cancelled the turtle walk.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

But, as the relationship progressed, Griffiths became more and more unreliable - often cancelling plans at the last minute.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Virgin Media has just been fined £28m by regulator Ofcom for repeatedly preventing customers from cancelling contracts.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Major indexes were mixed in afternoon trading, with weakness in tech stocks cancelling out big gains in sectors like financials and consumer discretionary.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

Schools in southwest England said they were planning to finish the day early and a train company said it was cancelling or changing some of its services out of London because of the "severe weather".

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

Instead of a roiled mess of waves cancelling each other out, you would have a pond of perfectly ordered waves, with high points and low points appearing regularly at the same spots again and again.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

• abolish
• abort
• annul
• break off
• cut
• destroy
• eliminate
• kill
• remove
• repeal
• rescind
• revoke
• wipe out