cancel

[ kan-suhl ]

See synonyms for: cancel canceled canceling cancelled on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),can·celed, can·cel·ing or (especially British) can·celled, can·cel·ling.

to make void, as a contract or other obligation; annul: to cancel a hotel reservation;to cancel a magazine subscription.
to decide or announce that a planned event will not take place; call off: to cancel a meeting.

to mark or perforate (a postage stamp, admission ticket, etc.) so as to render invalid for reuse.
to neutralize; compensate for; counterbalance: His sincere apology canceled his sarcastic remark.
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.
Accounting.
- to close (an account) by crediting or paying all outstanding charges: He plans to cancel his account at the department store.
- 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.
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.
to cross out (words, letters, etc.) by drawing a line over the item.
Printing. to omit.

verb (used without object),can·celed, can·cel·ing or (especially British) can·celled, can·cel·ling.

to counterbalance or compensate for one another; become neutralized (often followed by out): The pros and cons cancel out.
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

an act of canceling.
Printing, Bookbinding.
- an omitted passage, page, etc.
- a replacement for an omitted part.

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

synonym study For cancel

3, 8. 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 words for cancel

1	countermand, rescind

See synonyms for cancel on Thesaurus.com

Other words from cancel

can·cel·a·ble; especially British, can·cel·la·ble, adjective
can·cel·er; especially British, can·cel·ler, noun
re·can·cel, verb (used with object), re·can·celed, re·can·cel·ing or (especially British) re·can·celled, re·can·cel·ling.
self-can·celed, adjective
self-can·celled, adjective
un·can·cel·a·ble, adjective
un·can·celed, adjective
un·can·cel·la·ble, adjective
un·can·celled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cancel in a sentence

The proceedings expected this week in Guantanamo Bay had been canceled.
9/11 Mastermind Is Afraid of the Ladies | Tim Mak | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The CIA canceled the deal three years later, but by then the duo had received $81 million.
The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built | Michael Daly | December 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The second set was immediately canceled, and everyone was warned to take caution and head home.
How Richard Pryor Beat Bill Cosby and Transformed America | David Yaffe, Scott Saul | December 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Though Mayor Bill de Blasio was originally scheduled to attend, he canceled after the grand jury announcement.
‘They Let Him Off?’ Scenes from NYC in Disbelief | Jacob Siegel | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A Bangkok theater chain subsequently canceled its planned screenings of the new film.
‘The Hunger Games’ Stars Silent on Thai Protesters | Asawin Suebsaeng | November 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

Some big act is canceled owing to illness and they have to have a sketch.
Jane Journeys On | Ruth Comfort Mitchell
Your lease is by the term—a term being three months—and can be canceled upon giving one term's notice.
Paris Vistas | Helen Davenport Gibbons
In the end they canceled all London engagements and quietly set out for Scotland.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete | Albert Bigelow Paine
I canceled Ange's dinner at our place and started spending even more time there.
Little Brother | Cory Doctorow
Exemptions from taxation extended to members of the Council were canceled for the duration of the war.
Virginia Under Charles I And Cromwell, 1625-1660 | Wilcomb E. Washburn

British Dictionary definitions for cancel

cancel

/ (ˈkænsəl) /

verb-cels, -celling or -celled or US -cels, -celing or -celed (mainly tr)

to order (something already arranged, such as a meeting or event) to be postponed indefinitely; call off
to revoke or annul: the order for the new television set was cancelled

to delete (writing, numbers, etc); cross out: he cancelled his name and substituted hers
to mark (a cheque, postage stamp, ticket, etc) with an official stamp or by a perforation to prevent further use
(also intr usually foll by out) to counterbalance; make up for (a deficiency, etc): his generosity cancelled out his past unkindness
- to close (an account) by discharging any outstanding debts
- (sometimes foll by out) accounting to eliminate (a debit or credit) by making an offsetting entry on the opposite side of the account
maths
- 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
- (intr) to be able to be eliminated in this way

noun

a new leaf or section of a book replacing a defective one, one containing errors, or one that has been omitted
a less common word for cancellation

music a US word for natural (def. 20)

Origin of cancel

C14: from Old French canceller, from Medieval Latin cancellāre, from Late Latin: to strike out, make like a lattice, from Latin cancellī lattice, grating

Derived forms of cancel

canceller or US canceler, noun

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

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