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to show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it canceled the check and wrote a new one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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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 Stomp-and-holler virtuoso Noah Kahan had to cancel his July appearance at Citi Field when storm clouds threatened. — Matthew Schneier, Curbed, 27 Aug. 2026 Settlement talks in that litigation appear to have stalled after Bonta canceled a session scheduled for Monday. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026 In the episode when the Duffys visit Harvard, Paloma’s older sister Evita calmly notes that she herself was canceled for her beliefs while attending University of Chicago. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026 The studio’s current leadership canceled the film’s release for a tax break. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 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
  • Financing expires, talent moves on, and production slates are abandoned.
    — Jack Dunn, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
  • At an event overflowing with seven-figure hypercars and extreme technology, the car that exploded onto social media was one built around ideas that most of the industry has abandoned.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of abandon
Verb
  • While his party debates abolishing prisons and owning grocery stores, Democratic Mayor Daniel Lurie is cleaning up his city.
    — Kate Andrews, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Alabama has since abolished judicial override, the practice that allowed judges to order the state to kill a person even though a jury of one’s peers requested otherwise.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of abolish
Verb
  • The rhetorical trick consists in deleting the principal from the sentence.
    — Hamilton Mann, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The video, which continues to be shared online despite being deleted from the brand's channels, showed Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark shoving member Alexis Miestowski to the turf.
    — Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of delete
Verb
  • But Bama followed with a 38-3 quarterfinal flop to Indiana, erasing any momentum and placing DeBoer squarely under the microscope entering a pivotal third season.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The 68-year-old also lost her husband and her son, who worked at a local hydropower plant, in the flash floods that hit the region on Wednesday, erasing entire communities.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of erase
Verb
  • In August last year, Washington imposed 25% tariff on imports from India as a penalty for buying Russian oil, only to revoke them in February this year.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Genesis also argued that the county lacked authority to revoke the permits because federal law supersedes local regulations.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of revoke
Verb
  • That includes prohibiting the construction of AI data centers in rural Texas neighborhoods, reducing the impacts of data centers on local communities, and repealing sales tax exemptions and other incentives.
    — Jack Fink, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • According to correspondence reviewed by ProPublica, the Joint Staff disagreed with the Army acting secretary, who said in a February 2025 memo that the program was redundant and recommended Congress repeal the law that set it in motion.
    — Megan Rose, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of repeal
Verb
  • Scientists have been fighting a losing battle to eradicate them from sensitive ecosystems in South Florida.
    — Alex Harris August 25, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
  • How to Get Rid of Bermuda Grass Bermuda grass can take years to eradicate once it’s established, says Rossi.
    — SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of eradicate
Verb
  • Business as usual will have to wait a day for SpaceX, which aborted the first attempt Thursday with what would be the company’s 75th Starlink launch of the year as the orbiting constellation of satellites continues to grow.
    — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026
  • NordSpace had planned to launch its own Taiga rocket from the Atlantic Spaceport Launch Complex in August 2025, but the test was aborted due to mechanical issues.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of abort

Phrases Containing cancel

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cancel
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Cite this Entry

“Cancel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cancel. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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