cancellation

play

noun can·cel·la·tion \ ˌkan(t)-sə-ˈlā-shən \

variants: or less commonly cancelation

Updated on: 26 Jul 2017

Definition of cancellation

1 :the act or an instance of canceling

The cancellation of the game was due to bad weather.

2 :something (such as a hotel room or a ticket) made available by the canceling of an arrangement

was lucky to get a cancellation for the trip to Chicago

3 :a mark made to cancel something (such as a postage stamp)

See cancellation defined for English-language learners

See cancellation defined for kids

Examples of cancellation in a Sentence

The storm caused delays and flight cancellations.
Notice of cancellation should be given 30 days in advance.
There is a fee for cancellation.
Cancellations increased when rates doubled.

Recent Examples of cancellation from the Web

Multiple people have been injured after a car plowed into a crowd of people who were peacefully marching in downton Charlottesville following the cancellation of a white supremacist rally on Saturday.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "In Day Of Violent Clashes, Car Slams Into Counter-White Nationalist Protesters In Charlottesville," 12 Aug. 2017
Investors were only partially reassured by a government statement that the program’s review does not mean its cancellation. —

— kasper viita, Bloomberg.com, "U.K. Homebuilders Stumble Over Worries About Loss of 'Help-to-Buy' Program," 4 Aug. 2017
Constellation Brands said it is undeterred by the cancellation of the state’s 30-mile aqueduct project, and is proceeding with its own plans.

— sandra dibble, sandiegouniontribune.com, "U.S. company pushes forward with Mexicali brewery plan, despite opposition," 19 July 2017
Anyone seeking more information about the cancellation can contact the Anderson Police Department at 765-648-6775.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "Amber Alert issued for three children in Northern Indiana cancelled Sunday," 2 July 2017
Cancellation information will be announced on Facebook and broadcast on WXCY-FM 103.7 and WAMD-AM 970.

— erika butler, The Aegis, "Bel Air all set for day full of activities July 4," 30 June 2017
Stafford Racing, Fireworks Rained Out Thunderstorms forced the cancellation of Friday night's racing program at Stafford Motor Speedway and postponement of the fireworks that were scheduled.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Regional Digest: Stafford Racing, Fireworks Rained Out," 30 June 2017
But at 8:10 a.m., strangely, the yacht club removed the cancellation notice, and insisted the regatta was on.

— brian schutmaat, Smithsonian, "Racing the Storm: The Story of the Mobile Bay Sailing Disaster," 29 June 2017
Massive, tornado-producing storms swept through Omaha on June 16, one day before play began, forcing the cancellation of the CWS opening ceremonies.

— mike malloy, miamiherald, "Florida captures baseball glory for first time — with the search still on for winning ball," 28 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cancellation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of cancellation

see ¹cancel

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1535

See Words from the same year

cancellation Synonyms

Synonyms

abandonment, abortion, calling, calling off, dropping, recall, recision, repeal, rescission, revocation

Antonyms

continuation

Related Words

annulment, invalidation, neutralization, nullification, voidance; abolishment, abolition, ending, halting, stopping, termination; giving up, relinquishment, surrender; reversal, rollback

Near Antonyms

beginning, commencement, initiation; engagement, undertaking

Financial Definition of CANCELLATION

cancellation

noun

What It Is

In the finance world, a cancellation is a notice informing a broker that a trade was made incorrectly. In the insurance world, a cancellation occurs when a policyholder stops paying the premium on an insurance policy and/or the insurance policy is no longer effective.

How It Works

Let's say Jane Smith calls her broker, John Doe, and tells him to buy 1,000 shares of Company XYZ. John puts the trade in, but gets a cancellation telling him that the floor accidentally bought 1,000 shares of Company X instead. John quickly puts in a new trade for Jane and then calls and tells her what happened. Because the price of Company XYZ rose about $0.25 before Jane could actually get her shares, John offers to make her whole on the trade.

In another example, let's say Peter Walker has a term life insurance policy that costs him $100 a month. He loses his job and can't afford to pay the premium anymore. In turn, the insurance company cancels the policy and Peter no longer has life insurance.

Why It Matters

Computerized trading has vastly improved the accuracy of trading in developed markets, but occasionally somebody types the wrong ticker symbol or transposes a number, causing a cancellation. Cancellations can be a sneaky way of covering up wrongdoing in an account, so they involve a considerable amount of paperwork and verification.

In insurance, cancellations may relieve a consumer of monthly premium payments, but they can also expose the consumer to considerable risk. In Peter's case, a lack of life insurance might mean that if he dies now, his children may have to sell his assets just to pay for his funeral and estate taxes if they are no longer the beneficiaries of his life insurance policy.

Source: Investing Answers

CANCELLATION Defined for English Language Learners

cancellation

play

noun

Definition of cancellation for English Language Learners

: a decision to stop doing or planning to do something : the act of canceling something (such as a game, performance, etc.)
: the act of causing something to end or no longer produce a certain effect : a decision to stop something from being effective or valid