canister

noun

can·​is·​ter ˈka-nə-stər 

variants or less commonly cannister

1

: an often cylindrical container for holding a usually specified object or substance

a film canister

2

: encased shot for close-range artillery fire

3

: a perforated metal box for gas masks with material to adsorb, filter, or detoxify airborne poisons and irritants

Synonyms of canister

• barrel
• tin
• drum
• bucket

Examples of canister in a Sentence

she put the store-bought cookies in a fancy canister to make them look homemade

Recent Examples on the Web

Once the bag is closed off, it gets pushed into a canister, which will return to Earth with the crew, Hansen said. —Melina Khan, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026

Window treatments Vacuum blinds and curtains with the soft-brush attachment on a high-quality canister vacuum. —Sunshine Flint, Architectural Digest, 2 Apr. 2026

The facility stores waste in copper canisters embedded up to 1,480 feet deep in stable granite bedrock. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026

Some protesters wearing shields and gas masks on the other side of a fence at the federal complex picked up the canisters and tossed them back at police. —City News Service, Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin canistrum basket, from Greek kanastron wicker basket, from kanna reed — more at cane

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for canister

• banister

Kids Definition

canister

noun

can·​is·​ter

variants also cannister

ˈkan-ə-stər 

: a small box or can for holding a dry product (as coffee, flour, or sugar)