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
-
revoking
present participle
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
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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:
The Football Governance Act 2025 allows the IFR to suspend or revoke licences awarded to clubs as a last resort in cases of wrongdoing.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
She called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to step in and revoke hunting permits as recently as last month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
I urged the letter writer, whose parents were the victims, to petition the court to revoke her aunt’s POA.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Even after the reforms that reopened churches and temples in the 1980s, religion has remained something the state permits—and can always revoke.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
I brooded over it and finally said, “There’ll be one condition that Karhide must fulfill before it can join the Ekumen. Argaven must revoke your banishment.”
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
It revokes an order from President Joe Biden in March 2022 that primarily addressed national security concerns related to digital assets.
From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2025
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
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
Last month, Kelly ordered the reporters’ press credentials be temporarily restored just days after they were revoked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
It also revoked Ávila’s visa, without disclosing the reason.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Ganghwa County has ordered Saekdongwon to close and the local government has revoked the licence of the foundation that operated it.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
She was also charged with an infraction for driving with a suspended or revoked license.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Much of the trail crossed private lands, and new owners often revoked informal rights-of-way agreements, forcing confused and hasty relocations onto busy highways or other public roads—hardly the tranquil wilderness experience envisioned by Benton MacKaye.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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
“Kick rocks and don’t come back,” Bare told the representative, after successfully revoking the agreements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 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
Treasury Department said it was revoking, effective immediately, the license it had granted on June 21 to allow the sale of Iranian oil.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
