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rescinded; rescinding; rescinds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disloyalty, and following a hearing before the Atomic Energy Commission in 1954, Oppenheimer's security clearance was rescinded.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 Eventually, the Navy rescinded its ban. — Randall Samborn, National Law Journal, 14 Jan. 1991 The navy rescinded its ban on women sailors. The company later rescinded its offer.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

Once the contractor knocked down a portion of the house that was supposed to be retained, the city rescinded that approval. — J.k. Dineen, SFChronicle.com, "Faced with lawsuit, SF reverses order to rebuild home designed by famed architect," 29 Aug. 2019 A month later, the village board rescinded that action and asked the plan commission to re-evaluate the proposal. — Cathy Kozlowicz, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "348 people signed a petition to expand Germantown's Kinderberg Park. But a developer has other ideas for it.," 28 Aug. 2019 Deputy Commissioners Chuck Johnson and Claire Wilson rescinded their resignations after Lourey quit. — Ryan Faircloth, Twin Cities, "Minnesota owes the feds $48 million for improper Medicaid payments made by DHS," 26 Aug. 2019 In May, the council majority rescinded the 2018 specific plan for Vallco, rather than putting it to a vote of the people as Mayor Steven Scharf and his Better Cupertino supporters had promised. — J.r. Fruen, The Mercury News, "Opinion: Cupertino City Council is failing its housing challenge," 20 Aug. 2019 In a lawsuit settlement in April, the state rescinded the advisory, agreed to other changes and pledged to pay plaintiffs $450,000 in attorney fees. — Robert T. Garrett, Dallas News, "Texas Gov. Greg Abbott taps Hispanic former aide as secretary of state after noncitizen voter flap," 19 Aug. 2019 Utah also rescinded the coach-in-waiting agreement. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "NCAA penalizes Utah basketball for recruiting violations involving player Aztecs pursued," 6 Aug. 2019 After the accusations against Richard Meier, the AIA’s New York City chapter (AIANY) rescinded an Honor Award that was to be given to his firm. — Diana Budds, Curbed, "Inside the AIA’s efforts to address #MeToo," 5 Aug. 2019 Jereal Dorsey said that on Wednesday, after Trump’s tweet, Navy Secretary Richard Spencer rescinded the awards. — Jill Colvin, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump orders Navy SEAL prosecutors to be stripped of achievement medals," 31 July 2019

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

3 Sep 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

formal : 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)