canned

adjective

ˈkand 

1

: preserved in a sealed can or jar

canned peaches

canned pumpkin

2

a

: prepared or recorded in advance

especially : prepared in standardized form for nonspecific use or wide distribution

canned laughter

canned music

b

: lacking originality or individuality as if mass-produced

a canned speech

3

slang : drunk sense 1a

Synonyms of canned

• imitative
• imitation
• copied
• mock
• formulaic
• misleading

Examples of canned in a Sentence

The salesperson kept using the same canned phrases.

there's a canned quality to the screenplay that reminds you of countless other action movies

Recent Examples on the Web

Starting Friday, concession stands on the city’s iconic fleet of giant orange ships will sell beer, hard seltzers and canned cocktails for the first time since 2019. —Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026

This layered beauty is moist, tender, and made with canned pineapples, bananas, and walnuts. —Nellah Bailey McGough, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026

Over the course of the afternoon, the rows of canned mushroom soup, tomato sauce, peanut butter and boxes of macaroni and cheese went largely untouched. —Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026

Make a satisfying cook’s choice stewed fruit bowl to break up the monotony using dried, canned and even frozen fruits. —Mary Ann Esposito, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for canned

• armband
• backhand
• bandstand
• baseband
• broadband
• command
• cropland
• demand
• disband
• dreamland
• expand
• farmhand

Kids Definition

canned

adjective

ˈkand 

1

: preserved in a sealed can or jar

canned peaches

2

a

: prepared or recorded in advance

especially : prepared in one form for ordinary use or wide distribution

canned laughter

b

: lacking originality as if mass-produced

a canned speech