cancer

noun can·cer \ ˈkan(t)-sər \

Updated on: 25 Apr 2018

Definition of cancer

1 capitalized

a : a northern zodiacal constellation between Gemini and Leo

b (1) : the fourth sign of the zodiac in astrology — see Signs of the Zodiac Table

(2) : one born under the sign of Cancer

I'm a Taurus, but my best friend is a Cancer.

[Latin, crab, cancer]

a : a malignant tumor of potentially unlimited growth that expands locally by invasion and systemically by metastasis

b : an abnormal bodily state marked by such tumors

3 : something evil or malignant that spreads destructively

the cancer of hidden resentment
—Irish Digest

4 a : an enlarged tumorlike plant growth (such as that of crown gall)

b : a plant disease marked by such growths

—

cancerous

play \ˈkan(t)s-rəs, ˈkan(t)-sə-\ adjective

—

cancerously

adverb

See cancer defined for English-language learners

See cancer defined for kids

Examples of cancer in a Sentence

He was diagnosed with cancer.
She learned that she has cancer.
Eating certain foods may help reduce the risk of cancer.
Advanced cancers are more difficult to treat.
I'm a Taurus, but my best friend is a Cancer.

Recent Examples of cancer from the Web

On Friday night, former Vice President Joe Biden was at the institute highlighting the launch of a Salk cancer research initiative.

— meredith wadman, Science | AAAS, "Salk puts cancer scientist Inder Verma on leave after harassment allegations, announces investigation," 21 Apr. 2018
Jennifer Love, mother of sophomore third baseman and Texas Tech commit Riley Love, got to watch her first home game since having surgery for breast cancer earlier this month.

— brian gosset, star-telegram, "Watch what the Keller softball team did for one of its moms | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 21 Apr. 2018
Abby Lee Miller is thanking her fans for their prayers and love after having emergency surgery to treat potential cancer that left her paralyzed from the neck down.

— dave quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Abby Lee Miller Shares First Hospital Selfie as She Faces Preliminary Cancer Diagnosis," 21 Apr. 2018
Looming over all this is the question of who will succeed Ali Khamenei, the 78-year-old supreme leader who is rumoured to have suffered from prostate cancer.

— The Economist, "Mullahs rig the price of moolah in Iran," 21 Apr. 2018
Pagano drew attention to the fight against cancer with his public battle against acute promyelocytic leukemia diagnosed in 2012.

— indystar sports, Indianapolis Star, "Cancer research fund created in Chuck and Tina Pagano's names," 21 Apr. 2018
Most will pay for genuine innovation of the sort represented by cancer immunotherapy and gene therapy, to name just two extraordinary therapeutic trends.

— david beier, STAT, "On drug pricing, Trump could rely on bluster and bad ideas. But there’s a better alternative," 20 Apr. 2018
Three years ago, Leah's cancer went into remission.

— tim hackett, SI.com, "His Daughter in Remission, Devon Still Continues Fight Against Cancer," 20 Apr. 2018
This type of cancer starts in white blood cells and is most common in late middle age.

— sarah klein, Health.com, "Abby Lee Miller Was Diagnosed With Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Here's What That Means," 19 Apr. 2018

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

Did You Know?

The Latin word cancer, meaning “crab,” was also given as a name to several diseases. One of the diseases was the abnormal, spreading mass of tissue we call a tumor. A possible explanation for this extended use of cancer is that the Romans thought some tumors looked like many-legged crabs. A French descendant of this Latin word was borrowed into English as canker. It is now applied to several plant and animal disorders. In the 14th century the Latin word cancer in the sense of “tumor” was borrowed directly into English, giving us our modern spelling and sense.

Origin and Etymology of cancer

Middle English, from Latin (genitive Cancri), literally, crab; akin to Greek karkinos crab, cancer

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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CANCER Defined for English Language Learners

cancer

noun

Definition of cancer for English Language Learners

: a serious disease caused by cells that are not normal and that can spread to one or many parts of the body
: something bad or dangerous that causes other bad things to happen
Cancer : the fourth sign of the zodiac that comes between Gemini and Leo and has a crab as its symbol