revoke
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to take back or withdraw; annul, cancel, or reverse; rescind or repeal.
to revoke a decree.
- Synonyms:
- countermand, nullify, recall, retract
-
to bring or summon back.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
-
(tr) to take back or withdraw; cancel; rescind
to revoke a law
-
(intr) cards to break a rule of play by failing to follow suit when able to do so; renege
noun
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
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.
The court revoked the search warrant two days later to allow for a full hearing and ruling on the entire case.
“Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.”
From Salon
This led the Nobel Committee to issue a rare public clarification, putting out a statement stressing that the prize “cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others.”
Niger has revoked the licences of some 30 transport operators and truck drivers for refusing to carry fuel to neighbouring Mali, which is facing shortages due to a jihadist blockade.
From Barron's
"As with the 37 NGOs banned from working in Gaza, it feels like we're in a dynamic of settling scores," said Lemire, who is trying to have the ban revoked.
From Barron's
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.
