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

• barrel
• can
• drum
• tin

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

On Monday, police fired tear gas canisters at demonstrators to stop them from entering the capital. —Mushtaq Yusufzai, NBC News, 26 Nov. 2024

Edison officials say more than 80 percent of the canisters at SONGS could be taken off-site now if a permanent or interim storage facility existed and 100 percent of canisters will be ready to be shipped by 2030. —Rob Nikolewski, The Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2024

Outside, Tim McCoy, 72, filled a supply of gas canisters. —John Bacon, USA TODAY, 10 Oct. 2024

Up front, a slide-out single-burner gas or induction cooker and bowl sink plumbed to fresh and waste water canisters in the lower cabinets fill out the kitchen. —New Atlas, 18 Sep. 2024

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

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)