verb
Other Word Forms
- rescindable adjective
- rescinder noun
- rescindment noun
Etymology
Origin of rescind
First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin rescindere “to tear off again, cut away,” equivalent to re- re- + scindere “to tear, divide, destroy”
Explanation
If you get a call saying a company has decided to rescind your job offer, it's back to the classifieds for you. Rescind means "to cancel or revoke." Things that are rescinded: policies, court decisions, regulations, and official statements. What all these examples have in common is that they are on the record. Also, rescind usually refers to promises instead of tangible objects. You can't rescind a shirt a friend has borrowed from you, but you can rescind your offer to loan her your jeans.
Vocabulary lists containing rescind
Night
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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The Crucible
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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.
“They’re not going to rescind their admissions offer.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026
The award-winning poet Evelyn Araluen said UQP's handling of Money's book was of "extreme disappointment" to her, and she would rescind all her remaining contracts with the publisher.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
In addition, as part of the new agreement, the district agreed to rescind more than 200 layoffs and is being pressed to take back more.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
The committee also expressed alarm at Washington's decision to rescind longstanding guidelines and policies limiting immigration enforcement operations and arrests near schools, hospitals and faith-based institutions.
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026
Vanderbilt worked on Riddle for a few days to get the owner to rescind his boycott of Pimlico and bring his colt back to meet Seabiscuit.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
