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

What I’m saying is, do not whine to Kathy Griffin about cancel culture.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

The 15-year-old has told United he wants to cancel his registration with immediate effect.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

“The decision to cancel was made around noon today,” Smith said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

They can book travel, fill out online forms, cancel appointments, even file a complaint with customer service.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

There was a time that his words would have been enough to make her cancel her plans.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

He annually cancels or cuts short mandatory minicamps at the end of offseason workouts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Inspectors also found the service frequently uses overtime and cancels officers rest days in order to meet operational demand.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 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

Company A owns company B, and company B owns company A. What cancels out what?

From Barron's ● Dec. 11, 2025

I ring Audrey about tomorrow and she cancels a date with the boyfriend.

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

Bonta abruptly canceled a settlement conference, accusing Paramount of leaking confidential information.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

And Univision Fresno provoked the Valley’s Latino community last year when it canceled a Spanish-language morning show featuring beloved anchor Lupita Lomeli.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Hislop canceled a road trip to Tennessee on account of prices at the pump.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

In other words, investors have statements about safety — but no canceled equipment orders, abandoned data centers or revised spending forecasts.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

“In that case,” Dad said, “Summerhill will inform the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service. Her visa will be canceled, and she will have to leave the country immediately or be deported.”

From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg

Insurers like Humana are canceling some Medicare Advantage plans.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

And after canceling its money-losing electric F-150 Lightning truck last December, Ford says it will resurrect that truck as an EREV.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Depending on your situation, this could mean canceling high-priced memberships or unnecessary subscriptions — or making bigger moves, like selling a second car or downsizing your home.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

The school ended up canceling its season after too many players were declared ineligible.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

It turns out that canceling the project was the best thing that ever could have happened to it.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Concerts scheduled for Monday at the Rock in Japan music festival have been cancelled, while the Tokyo Game Show, a video game convention, has also cancelled Monday's programme.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

In 2025, following multiple complaints that condo buildings’ master policies were either being cancelled or not renewed, Missouri’s Department of Commerce and Insurance told insurers to avoid doing so.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

Athlos was supposed to expand to a two-day event in 2026, but the New York meeting scheduled for 2 October was cancelled following consultation with the athletes at the end of a long season.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Hewitt, a Fifa vice-president, said that the Fifa Council should also receive a written explanation for the cancelled suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

“So when we got to the airport, they told us that the noon flight had just been cancelled but that we could make the early flight if we hurried.”

From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper

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

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

Natasha Asghar, Welsh Conservative shadow health minister, had earlier called for a review of the service and said cancelling surgeries during it "is absolutely the right thing to do".

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Last September, Amazon paid $2.5 billion to settle allegations that it deceptively tricked consumers into Amazon Prime subscriptions and made cancelling them excessively difficult.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

Kristersson was due to hold a speech in Stockholm in the evening but told media he was cancelling it to focus on the incident.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 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