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to show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it canceled the check and wrote a new one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 When rates increase or stay elevated, life events, like home purchases or renovations, that drive the bulk of Home Depot's business get pushed off, if not canceled altogether. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 16 July 2026 Airbnb registration fees will be spent transparently on safety, security and amenity upgrades, and questionable contracts will be canceled. — Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026 Nonetheless, skeptics seized on the news to warn that airport workers seeking a payoff might collude to cancel a flight, or that crooks could call in fake threats to shut down air travel. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 16 July 2026 The complaints follow a pattern of billing disputes, difficulty canceling service and unresolved pest problems. — Jay Sparks, USA Today, 15 July 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
  • The boxing ring metaphor was largely abandoned once the competition began, even though there were more opportunities to mix baseball’s tradition of walkup music with fight sports’ swaggering walkouts.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 14 July 2026
  • Critics of the deal hope that the lawsuit will force Paramount to abandon its merger dreams altogether, though that seems hard to imagine, and would leave WBD in a weak position.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of abandon
Verb
  • Lisa Walker-Yeager Lisa Walker-Yeager is running a campaign focused on abolishing or significantly reducing the property tax burden that residents, particularly senior citizens, have at a time when most goods and services are more expensive.
    — Sofi Zeman July 16, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026
  • Polling found that support for abolishing ICE surged even among Republicans after the killing of the 37-year-old ICU nurse.
    — Michael Loria, USA Today, 15 July 2026
Definition of abolish
Verb
  • In a lengthy post on X that has since been deleted, AMC CEO Adam Aron described the inside as flamingo pink from the couches to the curtains, but also like an intimate garden party with lush, idyllic, green scenery and five-foot trees.
    — Bryan West, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • After the White House initially defended the post as satire, the video in question was deleted after a backlash including from some Republicans.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 2 July 2026
Definition of delete
Verb
  • Ungrounding, on the other hand, aims to remove a society from its place and erase all traces to its previous existence.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
  • Photographs capture her outline in the mud of a creek bank; in the snow blown against a tree trunk; in an arrangement of branches and flowers leaned against a tree; and in the sand on a beach, already being erased by the waves.
    — Eliza Goodpasture, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of erase
Verb
  • Censorship occurs when the government tries to revoke the green cards of people whose views its biggest donors would prefer not to hear.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 15 July 2026
  • Instead, Judge Kiley Stuchlik, of Idaho’s 3rd Judicial District, on Tuesday revoked Andrea Renee Shaw’s $2 million bond — leaving the young mother behind bars.
    — Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 14 July 2026
Definition of revoke
Verb
  • Its sales tax holiday was officially repealed in 2024, and the state has not held a tax-free holiday since.
    — Courtney Johnston, PC Magazine, 14 July 2026
  • Growing concerns around the risks of social media to young people have reignited a discussion on and around Capitol Hill about whether Section 230 should be reformed or repealed.
    — Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of repeal
Verb
  • The woes of airplane middle seats are soon to be eradicated for some United Airlines passengers.
    — Mason Leib, ABC News, 14 July 2026
  • But before the thylacine was fully eradicated, 13 pups of the marsupial species were preserved in alcohol.
    — Taylor Dotson, Scientific American, 10 July 2026
Definition of eradicate
Verb
  • The launch came after multiple weather delays, as well as a software issue that aborted a Thursday launch attempt and was fixed with an update.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 3 July 2026
  • An unpiloted test flight in December 2019 failed to reach the space station, aborted its mission, and came home early.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 July 2026
Definition of abort

Phrases Containing cancel

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cancel
canceled
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Cite this Entry

“Cancel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cancel. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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