rescind

verb

re·scind | \ ri-ˈsind

rescinded; rescinding; rescinds

Definition of rescind

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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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disloyalty, and following a hearing before the Atomic Energy Commission in 1954, Oppenheimer's security clearance was rescinded.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 Eventually, the Navy rescinded its ban. — Randall Samborn, National Law Journal, 14 Jan. 1991 The navy rescinded its ban on women sailors. The company later rescinded its offer.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

The Department of Transportation ruled in 2015 that airlines aren't legally obligated to honor mistake fares, although rescinding the seemingly marvelous deals will almost certainly spark a customer uproar. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Airline Prices $16,000 Luxury Flight at $675 After 'Ticketing Error' on New Year's Day," 2 Jan. 2019 Black women in particular have faced economic consequences for wearing their hair in natural styles, most famously Chastity Jones, an Alabama woman who in 2010 had a job offer rescinded for refusing to cut off her locs. — Nadra Nittle, Vox, "Bantu knots are the latest natural hairstyle at the center of a workplace dispute," 20 Dec. 2018 In doing so, MoviePass is rescinding a recent cost-cutting move of barring viewings of most major releases during the first two weeks. — Anick Jesdanun, The Seattle Times, "No price hike, but new caps on MoviePass discount tix plan," 7 Aug. 2018 That deadline allows teams to unilaterally rescind a qualifying offer as opposed to needing a player's consent after it. — Matt Velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Bucks rescind qualifying offer; Jabari Parker joins Chicago Bulls," 14 July 2018 If the Bucks had rescinded their qualifying offer, Parker would’ve been an unrestricted free agent, free to sign with any team. — K.c. Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Bulls working to sign restricted free agent Jabari Parker to offer sheet," 14 July 2018 Kavanaugh, in 2014, did rule against the FDA, identifying flaws in the agency’s decision to approve marketing rights for a surgical mesh, then its failure to follow procedure in rescinding those marketing rights. — Lev Facher, STAT, "Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s pick for court, has left trail of opinions on health care and pharma issues," 10 July 2018 To sign Anthony Tolliver, the Minnesota Timberwolves rescinded their qualifying offer to Bjelica, making him an unrestricted free agent and paving the way for another team to swoop in. — Sarah Todd, Philly.com, "Sixers to sign forward Nemanja Bjelica to one-year deal," 5 July 2018 In rescinding the program, the Department of Homeland Security cited the views of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who said DACA was an unconstitutional exercise of power by the Obama administration without authorization from Congress. — Brent Kendall, WSJ, "Appeals Court Questions Grounds for Canceling Policy on ‘Dreamers’," 15 May 2018

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.

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Last Updated

8 Jan 2019

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The first known use of rescind was in 1579

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More Definitions for rescind

rescind

verb

English Language Learners Definition of rescind

: to end (a law, contract, agreement, etc.) officially : to say officially that (something) is no longer valid

See the full definition for rescind in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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)