cancel

verb

ˈkan(t)-səl How to pronounce cancel (audio)
Definition of cancelnext
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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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

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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to show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it canceled the check and wrote a new one

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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cancel Most of us puke and then cancel plans; Clark went out there and continued to ball. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026 Legal-advocacy groups sued to block the President’s order, and a federal court eventually found that the Administration had attempted to cancel the program without following adequate administrative protocols. — Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026 As Ed Sheeran was forced to cancel shows over severe weather, Macklemore quickly sold out his Free Palestine Tour. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026 The show was canceled after one season, which consisted of eight episodes. — Zack Sharf, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cancel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cancel
  1. abandon
  2. abolish
  3. delete
  4. erase
  5. revoke
  6. repeal
  7. eradicate
  8. abort
Verb
  • Joe Raedle/Getty Images A North Miami Beach, Florida, mom is facing child neglect charges after allegedly abandoning her four children -- including a 2-month-old and a 2-year-old -- to go on a cruise to the Bahamas, according to court documents.
    — Clara McMichael, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the prime minister is having to claw back progressives who defected to the Green Party as left-wing factions abandoned Starmer’s Labour over the party’s stance on issues like net zero and the Gaza conflict.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of abandon
Verb
  • The vice president also blasted Nixon, who is in an uphill race to defeat Moody, for supporting defunding the police and abolishing prisons.
    — Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Coleman later joins forces with HopesAndDrums for a house mix that calls for abolishing ICE.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of abolish
Verb
  • Conradt also began to delete his MySpace profile, the Times reported, in an apparent attempt to erase his online footprint.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The two members, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, complained about being kept in the dark about adding new voters and deleting names, the report said.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of delete
Verb
  • By naming the product of two mergers Skydance, David Ellison relegates two of Hollywood’s founding studios to a sub-brand stew and attempts to erase a bunch of controversial hires.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • First among this unsung cohort are the women of the march, who have been all but erased from the record.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of erase
Verb
  • In 2021, Cruz sought to revoke Major League Baseball’s century-old antitrust immunity after the MLB decided to move its All-Star Game from Atlanta in response to a new Georgia voting law civil rights groups had criticized as restrictive.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • And in 2018 the administration revoked the credentials of CNN’s Jim Acosta, who successfully challenged his exclusion in court, a sequence that was repeated this week.
    — Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of revoke
Verb
  • Trump’s proclamation would have delayed compliance with the tougher standards from 2027 until 2029, though EPA ultimately repealed them in February.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Their best option would be to present a motion at the County Commission’s first October meeting to repeal the ordinance establishing the force.
    — Zoey Thomas, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of repeal
Verb
  • Swaminarayan monks, who practice the eightfold version, see it as an important way to help eradicate all traces of desire and remain singularly focused on God.
    — Bhakti Mamtora, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Community meetings focus on eradicating the homeless and protecting property values rather than supporting neighbors or providing shelter.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of eradicate
Verb
  • Flight-recorder data showed the pilots tried in the last seconds to lift off again to attempt to abort the landing and try again, but there was not enough runway left.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Fifteen seconds after touching down, one of the pilots called for aborting the landing and the engine throttles were increased to a value consistent with go-around thrust, the NTSB said.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of abort

Phrases Containing cancel

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canary
cancel
canceled
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Cite this Entry

“Cancel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cancel. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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