revoke
Americanverb (used with object)
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revokes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
revoked,
past participle, past
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revoking
present participle
-
to take back or withdraw; annul, cancel, or reverse; rescind or repeal.
to revoke a decree.
- Synonyms:
- countermand, nullify, recall, retract
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to bring or summon back.
verb (used without object)
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revokes,
present (3rd person singular)
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revoked,
past participle, past
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revoking
present participle
noun
verb
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(tr) to take back or withdraw; cancel; rescind
to revoke a law
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(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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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revokesimple
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revokessimple
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have revokedperfect
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has revokedperfect
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am revokingprogressive
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are revokingprogressive
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is revokingprogressive
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have been revokingperfect progressive
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has been revokingperfect progressive
Past
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revokedsimple
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had revokedperfect
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was revokingprogressive
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were revokingprogressive
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had been revokingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing revoke
Latin Love, Vol I: vocare
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Tears of a Tiger
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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.
See Examples For:
Less than a week later, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the US would revoke the family's status.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Authorities have cited the Lyft incident in court filings asking a judge to revoke Harvey’s bail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Revocable trusts allow the person who opens it to retain control during their lifetime and amend it, revoke it or move assets in and out of it, she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
In the second, the court let the administration revoke temporary legal protections that have let people from Haiti and Syria live and work in the U.S.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
It could only be a horrible thing that would cause the Council to revoke a sage’s status.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
After a user revokes an app’s access to their bank account, they have control over their paycheck again.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 12, 2026
Kaplan revokes Bankman-Fried's bail after finding probable cause to believe he tampered with witnesses at least twice, including by sharing Ellison's private writings with a New York Times reporter.
From Reuters ● Oct. 3, 2023
And finally, it revokes pre-1958 authorization for using PHOs in margarine, shortening, bread, rolls and buns.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2023
A judge on 6 January revokes the bail of a County Tyrone man facing trial on charges linked to the murder of prison officer David Black.
From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2023
When Dr. Johansen learns of the publicity, he temporarily revokes Joey’s travel privileges.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The state department also revoked status for daughter of former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Larijani.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
The agency noted that the European Commission revoked the drug's marketing authorisation earlier this month because "the benefits are no longer proven to outweigh its risks".
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, the son of Mexico’s former president, said the U.S. revoked his visa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
They had been buying permission to use that product, and this permission could be revoked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Mother tried to get Father to leave sooner, but he was holding out hope that the edict of expulsion might be revoked.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
The U.S. has also been revoking the visas and residency cards of Havana insiders and their family members.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
The work of VroniPlag Wiki alone has led to several German universities revoking doctoral degrees they had awarded to elected and appointed government officials.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
The State department has cited those ties as the reason for revoking the family's status.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Damage has been done even if the FCC stopped short of revoking the licenses, the network said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
South Korea’s safety rating was downgraded by the US Federal Aviation Administration, and Canadian officials informed Korean Air’s management that they were considering revoking the company’s overflight and landing privileges in Canadian airspace.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
