countermand

[ verb koun-ter-mand, -mahnd, koun-ter-mand, -mahnd; noun koun-ter-mand, -mahnd ]
See synonyms for countermand on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to revoke or cancel (a command, order, etc.).

  2. to recall or stop by a contrary order.

noun
  1. a command, order, etc., revoking a previous one.

Origin of countermand

1
1375–1425; late Middle English countermaunden<Anglo-French countermander<Middle French contremander, equivalent to contre-counter- + mander to command <Latin mandāre;see mandate

Other words for countermand

Other words from countermand

  • coun·ter·mand·a·ble, adjective
  • un·coun·ter·mand·a·ble, adjective
  • un·coun·ter·mand·ed, adjective

Words Nearby countermand

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use countermand in a sentence

  • It was too late to countermand the motor, which put up several miles away.

    The Romance of His Life | Mary Cholmondeley
  • I will countermand the order for an immediate attack; that will give me time to arrange.

    Wood Magic | Richard Jefferies
  • Then he had to be told how it was, and he hurried back into the house to countermand the order for the physician.

  • Unless something is done about it shall countermand religious services.

  • She decided in the absence of both to indulge in a rest, and sent Peter to countermand the carriage.

    The Lamp in the Desert | Ethel M. Dell

British Dictionary definitions for countermand

countermand

verb(ˌkaʊntəˈmɑːnd) (tr)
  1. to revoke or cancel (a command, order, etc)

  2. to order (forces, etc) to return or retreat; recall

noun(ˈkaʊntəˌmɑːnd)
  1. a command revoking another

Origin of countermand

1
C15: from Old French contremander, from contre- counter- + mander to command, from Latin mandāre; see mandate

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