1
as in to stop
slang
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
can the chatter, or I'm kicking you out of this library
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to remove
to let go from office, service, or employment
the cashier was summarily canned for stealing from the registers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
the racketeers were rounded up and thrown in the can
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in restroom
a room furnished with a fixture for flushing body waste
I excused myself and asked if I could use the can
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in seat
the part of the body upon which someone sits
he fell on the ice and landed on his can
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of can
Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2026
Try a can of Cincinnati tap water.
—Jason Hoffman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, Matsuoka’s speechless wife becomes obsessed with collecting and recycling trash bags filled with plastic cans, crushing them underfoot with a giddy gaze on her face.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
The pastor and his wife, who’d never had children of their own, should take her bottles and the yellow cans of formula, too, and follow the instructions on the label.
—Jeff Ernsthausen, ProPublica, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for can
Noun
The inspector found black residue inside the ice machine, two expired cans of Vienna Sausage and dead cockroaches at a floor drain.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2026
Try a can of Cincinnati tap water.
—Jason Hoffman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, Matsuoka’s speechless wife becomes obsessed with collecting and recycling trash bags filled with plastic cans, crushing them underfoot with a giddy gaze on her face.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
The pastor and his wife, who’d never had children of their own, should take her bottles and the yellow cans of formula, too, and follow the instructions on the label.
—Jeff Ernsthausen, ProPublica, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for can
Recent Examples of Synonyms for can
Verb
-
Such comments did little to stop the speculation, despite his contract at Atletico running to 2030 and containing a €500million (£436m; $577m) release clause.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Lee’s Summit school board election Voters will see seven names on their ballot for three spots on the Lee’s Summit school board, though one candidate, Christopher Thornton, did withdraw from the race after the deadline and stopped actively running.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The committee ultimately amended the bill to remove vehicular homicide as a crime of violence.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
At the time, Kansas City police chief and former FBI agent Lear Reed was on a campaign to clean up the police force and remove the lingering influences of Pendergast.—
Patrick Salland,
Kansas City Star,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Keep reading to learn how to turn your muffin tins into multi-functional pieces of cookware.—
Victoria Spencer,
Martha Stewart,
3 Apr. 2026
-
That’s when Jack discovers the tin full of custom drugs that were left in their room by the demented chemistry major who used to live there (the reliably hilarious Sarah Sherman, appearing in a step-by-step YouTube tutorial about surviving the pills her character invented).—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Captain has been released from jail after a judge set bail at $250,000, and he is set to enter a plea on April 9, court records show.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Housing would be freed up by deporting some people and putting others in jail.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The all-gender restroom had no toilet paper.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
April 3,
Sacbee.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The restroom includes a privacy stall and an ergonomic toilet seat.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The car was full of suitcases, and his father was sitting in the front seat, scrolling on his phone.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The 1,400-year-old artifact was recently found in the ancient city of Hippos, a prominent bishop's seat during the Byzantine era, according to a March 30 press release shared with Fox News Digital.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In 1903, a vicious winter storm reduced most of the piers to splinters, and by 1906 offshore oil production at Summerland had all but ceased.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
In July 2025, ENR effectively ceased to exist, with media outlets reporting the remnants of the bureau would be folded into the Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs (EEB).—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Authorities had since dismissed her lawyers’ requests to send her to a hospital for urgent treatment.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
There is a long history of women's pain being dismissed by doctors, incorrectly categorized as period pain or rooted in psychological distress.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Can.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/can. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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