revoke
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
noun
verb
-
(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
-
has revokedperfect
-
am revokingprogressive
-
are revokingprogressive
-
is revokingprogressive
-
have been revokingperfect progressive
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has been revokingperfect progressive
Past
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revokedsimple
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had revokedperfect
-
was revokingprogressive
-
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:
Homeland Security then used that information to revoke Global Entry privileges in retaliation, the lawsuit alleges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Advocates for TPS beneficiaries filed a flurry of lawsuits, arguing that the administration had cut corners in trying to revoke the protections.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 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
When the bureau found discrepancies, it tended to settle for reprimands and improvement plans, rarely going so far as to revoke a dealer’s license.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 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
After a user revokes an app’s access to their bank account, they have control over their paycheck again.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 12, 2026
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
“We demand that Iran revokes the death sentence against Jamshid Sharmahd and allows him to have an appeal that is fair and in line with the rule of law.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 22, 2023
When Dr. Johansen learns of the publicity, he temporarily revokes Joey’s travel privileges.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Three days later, according to the lawsuit, Cleland received an emailed notice that her Global Entry/TSA Pre-check had been revoked by Homeland Security.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
That designation was later withdrawn or revoked by BioDiem, an Australian biotech that had planned to test epitalon for retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that affects at least 80,000 people in the U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
The FAA revoked that privilege in 2019 after the crashes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
I have heard this VAR reversal explained by reasonable folks—Ziko’s goal was revoked because the scoring play originally benefited from a foul.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 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 government is restricted from revoking the status otherwise.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
In a statement revoking the award given by his predecessor, Nawrocki said that the move "is not directed against Ukrainian people" and that Poland would continue to support Ukraine.
From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026
At the same time Clark was damaging her image, her Fever bosses came under fire for trying to protect that image by revoking the credential of veteran Fever and Pacers beat reporter Scott Agness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
Among the recommendations possible are judicial, financial, administrative and disciplinary, so that could include revoking the former commissioner's pension.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 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.
