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
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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
-
has revokedperfect
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am revokingprogressive
-
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:
Homeland Security then used that information to revoke Global Entry privileges in retaliation, the lawsuit alleges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 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
They may also deny visas, revoke residency permits and bar entry for related personnel, according to the rules released Monday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
Our goal should be to attract the attention of the people who have the power to revoke the permits for the metal detectors.”
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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
The ECJ’s ruling revokes McDonald’s trademark for restaurants and for poultry products, retaining it only in reference to the red-meat burgers it originally referred to.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2024
To discourage firms from closing plants in Italy, the government decree revokes any state benefits already received if they move production abroad and fire 40% or more of their staff, Industry Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said.
From Reuters ● Sep. 16, 2022
When Dr. Johansen learns of the publicity, he temporarily revokes Joey’s travel privileges.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The notice did not detail the reason that Cleland’s status was revoked.
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
Manchester United insist that revoked season tickets will be repurposed as new ones for supporters on the waiting list.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The FAA revoked that privilege in 2019 after the crashes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
He pondered in the darkness, incredulous that a supposedly revoked passport had turned him into a prisoner.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
How exactly does the Supreme Court’s majority justify revoking TPS?
From Slate ● Jun. 26, 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.
