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

• tin
• barrel
• 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

After Ana Gallego’s son shot her in the leg outside her ranch-style home in Altadena, law enforcement plowed through three walls with two small tanks and threw tear gas canisters in every window in the hopes of flushing out the suspect. —Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025

Pope picked up one of the metal canisters and threw it toward the officers, hitting one. —Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2025

Remove the top of the wet/dry vac and empty the canister, then turn the leaf blower on to blow out any remaining debris from the collection canister. —Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 June 2025

The canister pops open to unspool 18 feet of water-resistant string lights (IPX4). —Simon Hill, Wired News, 26 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1692, 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)