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

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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

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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

"We were stuck with no petrol. So we couldn't move. We had to cancel all our plans," 43-year-old tourist Neagu told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

US country music star Ella Langley has said she had to cancel her sold-out concert in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Friday night, due to a "serious security threat".

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Those electrons can flip their own spins in ways that partially cancel the magnetic moment of the embedded atom.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

In the meantime, he has one last piece of Musk-related business, once the PR push for “Musk” is over: He plans to cancel his X account.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

She always overreacted to every loud cough or gasp of breath, keeping me out of school or forcing me to cancel plans to go to doctor’s appointments or to the hospital for no reason.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

In effect, the surrounding electrons form a cloud that "screens," or cancels out, the magnetism of the atom.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

LIV cancels final event to focus on 'next chapter'

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Plus: Know your rights as a passenger — and what you’re entitled to if an airline cancels your flight for any reason.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

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

“That cancels an android into catalepsy,” Rachael said, her eyes shut.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

New factory orders were down 0.7% from a month earlier, and unfilled orders, the stock of orders that will contribute to future sales if they aren’t canceled, were flat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

As a result, the two paths interfered destructively, meaning their quantum contributions canceled each other out.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

“CBS canceled shows led by Melissa McCarthy and Allison Janney,” he said, shaking his head.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights, as threats to Saudi airspace jeopardize one of the last two major air corridors connecting Europe and Asia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

“The advanced class meets at the other end of the building. It was canceled unexpectedly, so I came here.”

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Automakers have backed away from their most ambitious pro-EV goals, canceling models and axing planned ones, while listing multibillion-dollar write-downs as they retool their investments and pivot back to gas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

In addition, the White House was warned that canceling TPS for Salvadorans would disrupt construction projects in Washington, D.C., the New Yorker reported and a source with knowledge of the warnings confirmed they had occurred.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Dots are OpenAI’s answer to the current craze around AI agents designed to make users’ lives easier by handling tasks like scheduling trips or canceling subscriptions.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

Footfall also takes a hit, he said, noting that a stormy season has once again descended and fearful customers are canceling their reservations.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

“There’s no such thing as a good magician. Let’s not forget how close we came to canceling the training sessions this summer on account of those hybrid attacks.”

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston

His audiences have been cancelled until October 20.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

A Qantas flight from Italy to Australia was cancelled on Saturday, after an outbreak of bedbugs on the plane.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

But if the war intensifies before mid-November, those races will have to be cancelled.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Authorities have closed dozens of metro stations, cancelled several trains coming to Delhi and shut down mobile internet temporarily around the protest site.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

A Hindu upbringing and a Baptist education had precisely cancelled each other out as far as religion was concerned and had left her serenely impious.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

The ministry also said it would bring changes to the school calendar, including cancelling holidays, to make up for classes missed because of the strike.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

But on Tuesday, he admitted to the BBC that he was considering cancelling the tour and on Wednesday he told councillors he had now scrapped it.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Saudi Arabia issued attack alerts Tuesday for Mecca -- the holy city's first of the Middle East war -- and Jeddah and Taif governorates, before quickly cancelling them.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

Their reasons for cancelling may include cost and concerns about data privacy.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

And, oh dear, what am I to do about cancelling my steamship passage?

From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie

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Related Words

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

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