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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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to show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cancel
That's a real concern because something without a purpose is really easy to cancel.
—
New Atlas, 15 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, social events might suddenly be cancelled, delayed or initiated.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026
Rita has canceled dates for various reasons and gone silent for a day here and there.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2026
Rita has cancelled dates for various reasons and gone silent for a day here and there.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cancel
New Atlas, 15 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, social events might suddenly be cancelled, delayed or initiated.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026
Rita has canceled dates for various reasons and gone silent for a day here and there.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2026
Rita has cancelled dates for various reasons and gone silent for a day here and there.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cancel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cancel
Verb
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One is that OpenAI’s board has apparently abandoned its mission of safety.—
Alnoor Ebrahim,
The Conversation,
13 Feb. 2026
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The tech mogul, who helped found OpenAI, sued Altman and the company in 2024, accusing them of abandoning the firm’s founding values and manipulating him into investing in the ChatGPT maker.—
Julia Shapero,
The Hill,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In a similar move, Dissanayake's government abolished perks provided to former presidents in September in response to popular demand.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
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The holiday first made it to the states when French explorers settled in New Orleans, and the celebrations stuck until the Spanish gained control of Louisiana and abolished the carnival.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The post was deleted after other commenters were more pointed in their opprobrium.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
15 Feb. 2026
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Therefore, the logical next step would be to also delete that letter from his own last name.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Cook County has also had a separate program to erase medical debt.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
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This administration is literally erasing Black and Transgender people from society.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Last week, the Miami-Dade commissioner representing that area of Kendall, Raquel Regalado, filed legislation to ban the feeding of stray animals outside of businesses or in public parks but ultimately revoked it after receiving backlash.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
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No body that can be confined or restrained; no social or institutional standing to revoke; no reputation to damage.—
Deb Roy,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That means repealing private school voucher programs, protecting the separation of church and state, and keeping public funds in public institutions.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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This law, which includes stricter punishments for those who don't comply, repealed a 2001 ordinance on kite flying.—
Betsy Joles,
NPR,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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These four novels create a convincing, wrenching, kaleidoscopic picture of the range and repetitions of the most fatal kind of love; the sort of love that allows nothing else to grow around it, that eradicates all dignity; a love which, in order to be completed, must be told.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
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Because of these and other factors, the program to eradicate coca farming in Colombia failed, and production exploded.—
Greg Rosalsky,
NPR,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The plane was reportedly traveling at 103 mph when it was instructed to abort the takeoff, according to local outlet KSAT.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
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Pilots on the Mesa Airlines flight decided that the separation between their craft and the one taking off was insufficient and initiated a go-around, in which a landing is aborted.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cancel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cancel. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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