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

Both are true, and they cancel out on schedule, 20 minutes apart.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

Under India's food safety laws, businesses are usually given time to fix violations before regulators suspend or cancel their licences.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

The mechanism, introduced by the world's richest countries in 2020, is meant to help struggling nations cancel some of their debts under strict conditions.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

Germany will close Russia's consulate in the former capital Bonn later this month, and cancel the contract for the Russian House, a cultural centre in Berlin, said Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

“We could cancel our trips, you know,” Tiller said.

From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech

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

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026

After the video’s release, ABC cancels Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026

In the U.S., if the airline cancels the flight for any reason, you are eligible for a full refund if you choose not to take vouchers, credits, or alternative travel offered by the airline.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 11, 2026

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

From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander

Interest and funding faded after the end of the Cold War, and the program was canceled in the early 1990s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

"These figures are the cumulative operational impact since 5 September 2026 and cover flights that have been canceled, delayed, or diverted," the ministry said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

A growing number of cities and counties, including Austin, have canceled their Flock contracts in the face of residents’ privacy concerns.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

Ford said it will kill several EV models and pivot toward hybrids, while Honda canceled the rollout of its anticipated 0 Series EVs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

“Our first guest got spooked and canceled on us after this most recent attack on the Bureau. But not to worry, I called in a favor, and do I ever have a treat for you.”

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

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

Hurricane Lala disrupted travel between Los Angeles and Hawaii on Saturday, canceling flights from LAX to destinations across the islands as the Category 1 storm approached the Big Island.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Sent the day before, it apologizes for canceling his stay due to scaled-back capacity during opening week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

“Are you canceling the show?” asks Martin, hands on his cheeks.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli

Legendary Japanese video game creator Hideo Kojima said Thursday he had partnered with Microsoft's Xbox for his next project after its development for the PlayStation console was cancelled by Sony.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

The air traffic chaos follow a technical glitch in July last year that saw scores of flights to and from the UK cancelled, prompting anger from airline chiefs.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

More than 2,000 flights have been cancelled as disruption continued for a second day with passengers stuggling to fly out of and into the UK.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Airlines are still obliged to get passengers to their destinations - even if that is via another carrier - when their flight is cancelled, or give a refund.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

I’ve cancelled yet another mother-daughter night, so my mom stops by my room.

From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon

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

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 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

The German government announced in mid-June that it was cancelling the stalled multi-billion-euro F-126 programme, even though Rheinmetall was widely seen as the frontrunner to take over the project.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

But what if you could arrange the waves so that reflecting waves, instead of cancelling out the new waves, would reinforce them?

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