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• cant
  cant

  noun

  insincere, especially conventional expressions of enthusiasm for high ideals, goodness, or piety.
• can't
  can't

  contraction of cannot.
• Cant.
  Cant.

  abbreviation

  Canterbury.

cant

¹ American  

[kant] / kænt /

noun

1. insincere, especially conventional expressions of enthusiasm for high ideals, goodness, or piety.

   Synonyms:

   humbug, pretense, sham, hypocrisy

2. the private language of the underworld.

3. the phraseology peculiar to a particular class, party, profession, etc..

   the cant of the fashion industry.

4. whining or singsong speech, especially of beggars.

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verb (used without object)

1. to talk hypocritically.

2. to speak in the whining or singsong tone of a beggar; beg.

cant ² American  

[kant] / kænt /

noun

1. a salient angle.

2. a sudden movement that tilts or overturns a thing.

3. a slanting or tilted position.

4. an oblique line or surface, as one formed by cutting off the corner of a square of cube.

5. an oblique or slanting face of anything.

6. Civil Engineering. bank.

7. a sudden pitch or toss.

8. Also called flitch. a partly trimmed log.

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adjective

1. oblique or slanting.

verb (used with object)

1. to bevel; form an oblique surface upon.

2. to put in an oblique position; tilt; tip.

3. to throw with a sudden jerk.

verb (used without object)

1. to take or have an inclined position; tilt; tip.

cant ³ American  

[kahnt] / kɑnt /

adjective

Scot. and North England.

1. hearty; merry.

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can't ⁴ American  

[kant, kahnt] / kænt, kɑnt /

1. contraction of cannot.

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Cant. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. Canterbury.

2. Cantonese.

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cant ¹ British  

/ kænt /

noun

1. inclination from a vertical or horizontal plane; slope; slant

2. a sudden movement that tilts or turns something

3. the angle or tilt thus caused

4. a corner or outer angle, esp of a building

5. an oblique or slanting surface, edge, or line

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verb

1. to tip, tilt, or overturn, esp with a sudden jerk

2. to set in an oblique position

3. another word for bevel

adjective

1. oblique; slanting

2. having flat surfaces and without curves

cant ² British  

/ kænt /

noun

1. insincere talk, esp concerning religion or morals; pious platitudes

2. stock phrases that have become meaningless through repetition

3. specialized vocabulary of a particular group, such as thieves, journalists, or lawyers; jargon

4. singsong whining speech, as used by beggars

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verb

1. (intr) to speak in or use cant

Cant. ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Canterbury

2. Bible Canticles

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cant ⁴ British  

/ kɑːnt /

adjective

1. dialect lusty; merry; hearty

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can't ⁵ British  

/ kɑːnt /

contraction

1. cannot

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can't Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing can't

• beggars can't be choosers
• can
• if you can't beat them, join them
• you can't take it with you
• you can't win them all

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Spelling

See cannot.

Usage

See contraction.

Other Word Forms

• canter
  noun
• cantic
  adjective
• cantingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of cant¹

First recorded in 1495–1505; from Latin base cant- in cantus “song,” canticus “singsong,” etc., whence Old English cantere “singer,” cantic “song”; see chant

Origin of cant²

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English: “side, part, border,” from Anglo-French cant, Old French chant, from an unrecorded Romance cantu(m) with the related senses “rim, border” and “angle corner,” probably from Celtic; compare Latin cant(h)us “tire, iron tire” (from Celtic kantos ), Welsh cant “periphery, rim, felloe” cf. canteen, cantle, canton

Origin of cant³

First recorded in 1325–1375; Middle English cant, kant, kaunt “bold, brave, fierce,” from Low German kant “merry, bold”

Compare meaning

How does cant compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• can't vs. cannot

Explanation

Cant is language repeated so often and so mechanically that it's essentially empty of meaning. Cant can also mean the specialized jargon of a particular group — like the "cant of piracy" (e.g., Ahoy! Lubber! Arrr!). Possible sources for cant exist in both Irish Gaelic and Latin, and the meanings of both are similar: caint is "speech," while cantare is "to sing." In broader English, the word was first used to mock the singing of monks. As it evolved, cant became the whining of beggars and then the secret language of thieves, and the negative connotations persist in modern usage. As a verb, cant has a completely different meaning: it means to lean or tilt to one side.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cant can't Cant.

"I cant believe that even with all the health concerns and the fact there are otters in this river as well, it's still deemed minor," Irvine said.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

He writes with clarity and a welcome lack of cant, and he has an eye for the telling detail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

I love this quote by Ntozake Shange: “i cant count the number of times i have viscerally wanted to attack deform n maim the language that i was taught to hate myself in.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2025

“Trying to do the least with the most, him being 58. and he doesn’t want to help me financially. also he turns everything on you cant take ownership for anything,” said another.

From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2024

“We cant get out of here* I say. “Because this is a simulation.”

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

But AI can’t help students learn wisdom, which is essential to using those skills effectively.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

The jury was told she tried to ask her daughter to explain but she said: "I can't tell you any more."

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

"Consciousness is a trap. We can't prove it in each other. Debate it for AI and you go in circles," Stakeman told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

“We just said ‘Goodbye, we love you, but we can’t keep you,” she said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

But he can’t hide the grin that he flashed once I said Zora’s name.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

The epithet applied to the sun in Cant. vi. already quoted, "Clear as the sun," may be taken as equivalent to "spotless."

From The Astronomy of the Bible An Elementary Commentary on the Astronomical References of Holy Scripture by E. Walter (Edward Walter) Maunder

Branthwaite, William Branthwaite Cant., and "Thy assured friend" R. B., have each written Commendatory Verses to all the Works of John Taylor.

From The Pennyles Pilgrimage Or The Money-lesse Perambulation of John Taylor by John Taylor

Yet to his last day was Solomon afraid of the prince of devils, and had his bed guarded by the valiant men of Israel, as is written in Cant. iii.

From Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 1 by Isaac Disraeli

Hence the spouse in the Canticles is said to be but one, and the only one of her mother; Cant. vi.

From An Exhortation to Peace and Unity by John Bunyan

It is to this experience that Cant. ii.

From Christian Mysticism by William Ralph Inge