rescind

verb

re·​scind ri-ˈsind 

rescinded; rescinding; rescinds

transitive verb

1

: to take away : remove

"… from this day I diet him on bread and water— rescind his pocket-money! …"

—George Meredith

… the bean counters send letters that seem to suggest they can rescind the patient's good health unless he pays up immediately.

—Karen Stabiner

2

a

: take back, cancel

refused to rescind the harsh order

rescinded the invitation/offer/proposal

b

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

If a repair or replacement is not possible … the consumer may then rescind the contract and get a full refund.

—Grace Duffy

3

: to make void by action of the enacting authority or a superior authority : repeal

rescind an act/policy/judgment

After the trial period, the city will assess how the events went and whether to rescind the law.

—Tammy Murga

rescinder noun

rescindment

ri-ˈsin(d)-mənt 

noun

Did you know?

Rescind and the lesser-known words exscind and prescind all come from the Latin verb scindere, which means “to split, cleave, separate.” Rescind was adapted from its Latin predecessor rescindere in the 16th century, and prescind (from praescindere) and exscind (from exscindere) followed in the next century. Exscind means “to cut off” or “to excise,” and prescind means “to withdraw one’s attention,” but of the three borrowings, only rescind established itself as a common English term. Today, rescind is most often heard in contexts having to do with the withdrawal of an offer, award, or privilege, or with invalidation of a law or policy.

Synonyms of rescind

• cancel
• revoke
• abandon
• scrap
• repeal
• abort

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disloyalty, and following a hearing before the Atomic Energy Commission in 1954, Oppenheimer's security clearance was rescinded.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 Eventually, the Navy rescinded its ban.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The navy rescinded its ban on women sailors.

The company later rescinded its offer.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

In May, the administration rescinded hundreds of grants awarded through the National Endowment for the Arts to redirect funding toward projects focused on the nation’s 250th anniversary, among other things. —Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025

Federal funds expected by food banks and public radio and television stations have been rescinded, putting a major dent in their budgets. —Mimi Whitefield, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025

The state rescinded a round-one grant in the same amount in September, because Palomar, working through its charitable foundation, was unable to meet a 10% funding match for the award. —Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025

Murrill is attempting a new spin on a suit against the FDA brought by a group of Texas doctors who also wanted the agency to restore previous restrictions on the pills, including requiring in-person visits, and rescind the policy allowing mail-order access. —Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rescind

• chagrined
• crosswind
• downwind
• upwind
• whirlwind
• woodwind
• finned
• ginned
• grinned
• pinned
• sinned
• skinned

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

rescind

verb

re·​scind ri-ˈsind 

1

: cancel sense 2a

rescind a contract

2

: to do away with by legislative action

rescind a law

rescinder noun

rescindment

-mənt 

noun

Legal Definition

rescind

verb

re·​scind ri-ˈsind 

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)

rescindable

-ˈsin-də-bəl

adjective

Etymology

Latin rescindere to cut loose, annul, from re- away, back + scindere to cut, split