adjective
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preserved and stored in airtight cans or tins
canned meat
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informal prepared or recorded in advance; artificial; not spontaneous
canned music
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a slang word for drunk
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of canned
Explanation
Anything canned is stored in a jar or can. It’s usually food, but prerecorded music is also canned. And, if you get fired from a job, you’ve been canned. Don’t cry, though, it’s better than being stuck in a jar. When someone talks about "canned goods," they mean all the food you can buy that comes in a can, like canned green beans and canned pineapple. Home-preserved food is also canned, even if it's in a glass jar. This adjective takes on a derogatory slant when it describes music that's recorded rather than played live, or an answer that sounds prepared rather than real.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
RTD, which includes the canned cocktail brand Cutwater, was the only category to grow for the company in terms of both volume and revenue in the U.S. last year.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
The video features Morgan using canned cocktails to explain how Wales' voting system works - representing Labour with a pink can of strawberry daiquiri and the other parties with cans in their colours.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
“We grew up with not a lot of means,” he said, recalling his mother’s magical ability “to whip up a whole meal with just canned tuna or cheese sandwiches.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
"The whole war, from beginning to end, I was open... I stayed alone in the market," said Abu Habib, 65, standing in front of his stalls of canned goods and bags of rice.
From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026
Ms. Lena told us there should be some food from her last trip, and I find lunch meat, bread, beef jerky, ramen noodles, oatmeal, canned soup, and dried fruits.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
