rescind

verb

re·scind | \ ri-ˈsind

rescinded; rescinding; rescinds

Essential Meaning of rescind

formal : to end (a law, contract, agreement, etc.) officially : to say officially that (something) is no longer valid The navy rescinded its ban on women sailors. The company later rescinded its offer/decision.

Full Definition of rescind

transitive verb

1 : to take away : remove

2a : take back, cancel refused to rescind the order

b : to abrogate (a contract) and restore the parties to the positions they would have occupied had there been no contract

3 : to make void by action of the enacting authority or a superior authority : repeal rescind an act

Other Words from rescind Synonyms & Antonyms Did you know? More Example Sentences Learn More About rescind

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Synonyms & Antonyms for rescind

Synonyms

Antonyms

continue,
keep

Did you know?

Rescind and the lesser-known words exscind and prescind all come from the Latin verb scindere, which means "to cut" or "to split." Rescind was adapted from its Latin predecessor rescindere in the second half of the 16th century, and prescind (from praescindere) and exscind (from exscindere) followed in the mid-17th century. Exscind means "to cut off" or "to excise," and prescind means "to withdraw one's attention," but neither appears frequently in contemporary English. Of the three borrowings, only rescind established itself as a common English term. You might hear of someone rescinding a contract or an offer, or of a legislative body rescinding a law.

Examples of rescind in a Sentence

The enemies these efforts made for him concocted charges of disloyalty, and following a hearing before the Atomic Energy Commission in 1954, Oppenheimer's security clearance was rescinded. — Kai Bird et al., Smithsonian, Aug. 2005 But Maria convinced Leverich that she had the authority to rescind the executor's decision to appoint him as biographer. — John Lahr, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 1994 The Navy barred its personnel from his church, but he challenged the decree in federal court as a constitutional violation of freedom of religion. Eventually, the Navy rescinded its ban. — Randall Samborn, National Law Journal, 14 Jan. 1991 The navy rescinded its ban on women sailors. The company later rescinded its offer.

Recent Examples on the Web America will rescind its travel ban on 8 November meaning EU and U.K. travelers can visit for the first time in nearly 600 days and U.S. land borders will open in November too. — Alex Ledsom, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2021 Governor Doug Ducey issued an executive order in response to the city of Tucson's announcement, in order to stop cities from implementing vaccine mandates before Sept. 29, but Tucson did not rescind its vaccination requirement. — Houston Keene, Fox News, 7 Sep. 2021 Others would swap amounts and then rescind and change them again. — oregonlive, 9 Oct. 2021 Inmate advocates and some Democratic lawmakers have urged the Biden legal team to rescind the Trump-era memo and assert that the bureau can lawfully keep the prisoners in home confinement even after the pandemic ends. — New York Times, 30 Aug. 2021 The Commerce Department and the Attorney General's Office have both recommended that the PUC deny CenturyLink's request to rescind or alter phone service rules. — Mike Hughlett, Star Tribune, 8 July 2021 San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman issued a ruling calling on the board to do what the lawsuit requests — rescind the vote and dissolve the renaming advisory committee — or show by April 16 why it shouldn’t be compelled to do so. — Jocelyn Gecker, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2021 While players who enter the transfer portal are permitted to rescind their names and return to their schools, the program is no longer obligated to honor the scholarship. — Daniel Oyefusi, baltimoresun.com, 8 Apr. 2021 The lawsuit argues those memoranda have led immigration officials to rescind detainer requests and not to issue detainers for individuals subject to mandatory removal. — Carly Ortiz-lytle, Washington Examiner, 7 Apr. 2021

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

History and Etymology for rescind

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French rescinder "to reduce, cut, cancel, break (a contract)," borrowed from Latin rescindere "to remove or lay bare by hewing and cutting, cut or tear open, cancel, annul," from re- re- + scindere "to split, cleave, separate" — more at shed entry 1

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Dictionary Entries Near rescind

reschool

rescind

rescissible

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Last Updated

25 Oct 2021

Cite this Entry

“Rescind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rescind. Accessed 26 Oct. 2021.

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More Definitions for rescind

rescind

verb

re·scind | \ ri-ˈsind

Legal Definition of rescind

transitive verb

1 : to take back and make void rescinded its suspension of his license

2 : to abrogate (a contract or transaction) by mutual agreement, judicial decree, or unilateral declaration because of fraud, mistake, duress, misrepresentation, illegality, a breach, or another sufficient ground with both parties restored to their positions before the contract was made — compare cancel, terminate

3 : to make void by the same or by a superior authority rescind a regulation

intransitive verb

: to rescind something (as a contract)