canned

American  

[kand] / kænd /

adjective

1. preserved in a can or jar.

   canned peaches.

2. Informal. recorded.

   canned music.

3. Informal. prepared in advance.

   a canned speech.

4. Slang. drunk.

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canned British  

/ kænd /

adjective

1. preserved and stored in airtight cans or tins

   canned meat

2. informal prepared or recorded in advance; artificial; not spontaneous

   canned music

3. a slang word for drunk

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Other Word Forms

• uncanned
  adjective
• well-canned
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of canned

First recorded in 1855–60; can ² + -ed ²

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

Add your chopped veggies, like Persian cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, pickled onions, mini sweet peppers, pepperoncini and Kalamata olives, along with washed and drained canned chickpeas.

From Salon • Jun. 29, 2026

He was stunned when it was a short talk, followed a few hours later by an email telling him he was canned.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

The two stocks will replace canned foods maker Campbell’s and swimming pool supplier Pool in the S&P 500.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

Because it wasn’t just his statements on UFOs that got Rossetti canned.

From Slate • Jun. 8, 2026

I did have a few cans of meat—three to be exact—and also some canned hash that he would have eaten in a pinch.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien

Related Words

• bottled