View synonyms for cancel

cancel

[ kan-suhl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

canceled, canceling or (especially British) cancelled, cancelling.

to make void, as a contract or other obligation; annul: to cancel a magazine subscription.
to cancel a hotel reservation;
to cancel a magazine subscription.
Synonyms: rescind, countermand
to decide or announce that a planned event will not take place; call off:
to cancel a meeting.
to mark or perforate (a postage stamp, admission ticket, etc.) so as to render invalid for reuse.
to neutralize; compensate for; counterbalance:
His sincere apology canceled his sarcastic remark.
to publicly reject, boycott, or no longer support (a person or group) because of socially or morally unacceptable views or actions:
Fans have been quick to cancel their favorite rapper or other celebrity.
Accounting.
1. to close (an account) by crediting or paying all outstanding charges:
  He plans to cancel his account at the department store.
2. to eliminate or offset (a debit, credit, etc.) with an entry for an equal amount on the opposite side of a ledger, as when a payment is received on a debt.
Mathematics. to eliminate by striking out a factor common to both the denominator and numerator of a fraction, equivalent terms on opposite sides of an equation, etc.
to cross out (words, letters, etc.) by drawing a line over the item.
Printing. to omit.

verb (used without object)

canceled, canceling or (especially British) cancelled, cancelling.

to counterbalance or compensate for one another; become neutralized (often followed by out ):
The pros and cons cancel out.
Mathematics. (of factors common to both the denominator and numerator of a fraction, certain terms on opposite sides of an equation, etc.) to be equivalent; to allow cancellation.

noun

an act of canceling.
Printing, Bookbinding.
1. an omitted passage, page, etc.
2. a replacement for an omitted part.

cancel

/ ˈkænsəl /

verb

to order (something already arranged, such as a meeting or event) to be postponed indefinitely; call off
to revoke or annul
the order for the new television set was cancelled
to delete (writing, numbers, etc); cross out
he cancelled his name and substituted hers
to mark (a cheque, postage stamp, ticket, etc) with an official stamp or by a perforation to prevent further use
also intrusually foll byout to counterbalance; make up for (a deficiency, etc)
his generosity cancelled out his past unkindness
1. to close (an account) by discharging any outstanding debts
2. sometimes foll by out accounting to eliminate (a debit or credit) by making an offsetting entry on the opposite side of the account
maths
1. to eliminate (numbers, quantities, or terms) as common factors from both the numerator and denominator of a fraction or as equal terms from opposite sides of an equation
2. intr to be able to be eliminated in this way

noun

a new leaf or section of a book replacing a defective one, one containing errors, or one that has been omitted
a less common word for cancellation
music a US word for natural

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Derived Forms

ˈcanceller, noun

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Other Words From

can·cel·a·ble especially British, can·cel·la·ble adjective
can·cel·er especially British, can·cel·ler noun
re·can·cel verb (used with object) recanceled recanceling or (especially British) recancelled recancelling
self-can·celed adjective
self-can·celled adjective
un·can·cel·a·ble adjective
un·can·celed adjective
un·can·cel·la·ble adjective
un·can·celled adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of cancel¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cancellen, cansellen “to annul, revoke,” from Anglo-French canceler, from Old French chanceler “to cross out with X's or parallel lines,” from Medieval Latin cancellāre “to cross out,” from Latin: “to make like a lattice,” derivative of cancellī “latticed barriers, gratings, grilles,” plural of cancellus; cancellus

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Word History and Origins

Origin of cancel¹

C14: from Old French canceller, from Medieval Latin cancellāre, from Late Latin: to strike out, make like a lattice, from Latin cancellī lattice, grating

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Synonym Study

Cancel, delete, erase, obliterate indicate that something is no longer to be considered usable or in force. To cancel is to cross something out by stamping a mark over it, drawing lines through it, or the like: to cancel a stamp, a word. To delete is to cross something out from written matter or from matter to be printed, often in accordance with a printer's or proofreader's symbol indicating the material is to be omitted: to delete part of a line. To erase is to remove by scraping or rubbing: to erase a capital letter. To obliterate is to blot out entirely, so as to remove all sign or trace of: to obliterate a record.

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Example Sentences

The state finals were canceled that season because of the COVID-19 outbreak, so James & Co. have a chance to finish the job.

From Los Angeles Times

David Kushner has announced he is cancelling the remainder of his UK and Europe tour.

From BBC

Joun concluded, based on a preliminary review of available evidence, that the federal action to cancel the grants was “arbitrary and capricious and an abuse of discretion” as well as “not in accordance with law.”

From Los Angeles Times

A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers is calling on the Trump administration to cancel a controversial plan to kill up to nearly half a million barred owls to protect the vulnerable northern spotted owl.

From Los Angeles Times

He canceled the FDA's annual meeting to set the year's flu vaccine schedule and terminated a program to develop a pill form of the COVID-19 vaccine.

From Salon

Related Words

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Canceled Vs. Cancelled

What's the difference between canceled and cancelled?

Canceled and cancelled are alternate forms of the past tense of the verb cancel.

Canceled is the primary spelling used in American English, while cancelled is the spelling used in British English and preferred in many locations, including in the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and Canada. Perhaps for this reason, cancelled is also occasionally used in American English.

This is part of a general British English spelling pattern in which a single letter L at the end of a verb is doubled when the verb is changed to form a different tense, such as by adding –ed for past tense or -ing for continuous tense. So cancelling is used in British English, while canceling is primarily used in American English. This same pattern applies for many words, such as counsel, but not all. When the stress falls on the final syllable, the L is usually doubled (the past tense of propel is typically spelled propelled, for example).

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between canceled and cancelled.

Quiz yourself on canceled vs. cancelled!

True or False?

The spelling cancelled is never used in American English.

cancan cancel culture

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