1
as in to abandon
to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to)
please call to cancel your appointment with the dentist if you can't make it
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2
as in to abolish
to put an end to by formal action
the agreement can be canceled by either side with a formal written notice
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3
as in to delete
to show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it
canceled the check and wrote a new one
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4
as in to erase
to destroy all traces of
it seemed as though all honor and decency had been canceled by the war's new moral order
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cancel
Its first-ever color feature, In the Shadow of Honor, which was going to be filmed in Indonesia, was canceled due to disagreements between the two countries related to colonial war reparations.
—
Michael Taube, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Delaying or canceling prevention research can result in higher costs later, as more people require intensive treatment for conditions that could have been avoided or managed earlier.
—Zeynep Hasgül, The Conversation, 12 Sep. 2025
Activities froze in places like Virginia State University after a swatting call and at Southern University in Louisiana, where classes have already been cancelled through the weekend, another swatting call put the entire campus on high alert.
—ABC News, 12 Sep. 2025
Wake Forest University also canceled events with speakers on both sides of the Israel-Hamas war.
—Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cancel
Michael Taube, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Delaying or canceling prevention research can result in higher costs later, as more people require intensive treatment for conditions that could have been avoided or managed earlier.
—Zeynep Hasgül, The Conversation, 12 Sep. 2025
Activities froze in places like Virginia State University after a swatting call and at Southern University in Louisiana, where classes have already been cancelled through the weekend, another swatting call put the entire campus on high alert.
—ABC News, 12 Sep. 2025
Wake Forest University also canceled events with speakers on both sides of the Israel-Hamas war.
—Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cancel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cancel
Verb
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These factors should never be a cause to abandon principles, but this is exactly what is occurring.—
Kimberly Ross,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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This would come as Carr also plans on abandoning an effort to raise the agency's benchmark for high-speed internet from 100Mbps to 1Gbps.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Iranian authorities must immediately implement a moratorium on all executions and abolish the death penalty.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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The Department of Labor withdrew a plan to establish a minimum wage for workers with disabilities and abolished wage protections for the home-health aides who assist millions of seniors and disabled people.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This is particularly relevant in the case of ChatGPT, as OpenAI is, as of writing, obliged by a US federal court order to store all conversations, even those deleted by users or conducted in its Temporary Chat mode.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Somehow, the queen can delete her own nuclear DNA and produce offspring that rely almost entirely on the sperm’s DNA.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Total job growth was revised lower by the largest amount in history, The revisions erased 911 thousand jobs over the full year period, adding to mounting concerns of a weakening labor market and fueling questions as to the reliability of monthly data being used to gauge employment.—
JJ Kinahan,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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During an interview with Fox News on Monday, Rubio said that the State Department will not grant visas to those celebrating Kirk’s death, and will revoke visas from those doing so.—
Max Rego,
The Hill,
16 Sep. 2025
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the United States has begun revoking the visas of individuals found celebrating the killing of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk.—
Alia Shoaib
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Initially, both the Treasury Department and key congressional leaders were determined to repeal the SALT deduction entirely.—
Joseph Thorndike,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Federal officials have said that repealing the rule would allow for more flexible management for local land managers and aid in preventing destructive wildfires.—
John Leos,
AZCentral.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In that time, the potentially fatal disease has been virtually eradicated among American children.—
Kff Health News,
Oc Register,
16 Sep. 2025
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Although interest in Russian Cosmism was quickly eradicated, the movement has acquired new life in the 21st century.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Still, in March, a collision alarm sounded in the cockpit of a Delta Air Lines jet when Air Force jets conducting a flyover at Arlington National Cemetery got too close, and in May, an Army helicopter circling the neighboring Pentagon, caused two passenger jets to abort landings.—
Aaron Cooper,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
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But the Clinton administration aborted the idea out of fear that an attack could result in retaliation against South Korea and a broader war, and instead sought a diplomatic solution.—
VIPIN NARANG,
Foreign Affairs,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cancel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cancel. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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