revoke

American  

[ri-vohk] / rɪˈvoʊk /

verb (used with object)

revoked, revoking

1. to take back or withdraw; annul, cancel, or reverse; rescind or repeal.

   to revoke a decree.

   Synonyms:

   countermand, nullify, recall, retract

2. to bring or summon back.

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verb (used without object)

revoked, revoking

1. Cards. to fail to follow suit when possible and required; renege.

noun

1. Cards. an act or instance of revoking.

revoke British  

/ rɪˈvəʊk /

verb

1. (tr) to take back or withdraw; cancel; rescind

   to revoke a law

2. (intr) cards to break a rule of play by failing to follow suit when able to do so; renege

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noun

1. cards the act of revoking; a renege

Usage

What does revoke mean? Revoke means to take back, withdraw, or cancel. Revoke is typically used in the context of officially taking back or cancelling some kind of right, status, or privilege that has already been given or approved. Passports and laws can be revoked, for example. The process or an instance of revoking is called revocation. A much more specific and less common sense of the word revoke is used in the context of card games, in which it means to break the rules by failing to follow suit when possible or required, such as in the game of bridge. Example: The principal threatened to revoke our senior privileges if there are any pranks.

Other Word Forms

• revoker noun
• revokingly adverb
• unrevoked adjective

Etymology

Origin of revoke

1300–50; Middle English revoken < Latin revocāre to call again, equivalent to re- re- + vocāre to call

Explanation

When you revoke something, you officially cancel it, like when you revoke your sister's "coolest sibling" award because she shows your friends funny pictures of you from when you were little. The verb revoke comes from the Latin word revocare, meaning "to call back or rescind." Licenses, wills, and privileges are three things that can be revoked. The verb also has a meaning specific to card- playing. If the rules state that you have to follow suit, but you accidentally play trump instead, you have revoked or reneged. If other players notice your mistake, you have to take the card back.

Example Sentences

But in early March, the North Dakota Attorney General sought to revoke the group’s charitable gaming license and fine them, alleging that an investigation had found “multiple violations of state gaming laws and regulations.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

During the meeting on Thursday, councillors debated a motion proposing to revoke the honour from Ferguson before voting in favour of it.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

Instead, it agreed to take up the government’s case, which argues that it can revoke this status—this is something Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has been fighting for nearly a year now.

From Slate • Mar. 19, 2026

I learned the new financial POA didn’t automatically revoke the old one, and although the county had prepared a revocation letter, I was never given it.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

“My lord, will you revoke the Order of Exile on Estraven, to clear his name?”

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Related Words

• abolish
• abrogate
• annul
• deny
• dismantle
• dismiss
• invalidate
• lift
• nullify
• quash
• remove
• renounce
• repeal
• rescind
• retract
• reverse
• set aside
• vacate
• void
• withdraw