cancer

noun

Definition of cancernext
1
as in disease

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in lymphoma

Related Words
3
as in canker

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 cancer In 1979, three years after The Shootist was released, Wayne died at 72 from complications of cancer. — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026 Anawalt gave the example of a man with cancer who has his testicles removed. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 17 July 2026 In some cases, the cause could be a disease such as cancer or a pituitary disorder. — Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 17 July 2026 Nara did not specify exactly what type of cancer Whimsy was diagnosed. — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for cancer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cancer
  1. disease
  2. lymphoma
  3. canker
  4. virus
  5. melanoma
  6. decay
  7. carcinoma
  8. rot
Noun
  • DeepMind’s AlphaFold, for example, has used to AI to make available new structures for more than 200 million proteins, opening new pathways for research into disease and medicine.
    — Belonging Forum, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • The lab got its start with studies of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the 1900s, when ranchers and cattle were dying from the then-unknown disease.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Definition of disease
Noun
  • He had been diagnosed with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare blood cancer, in 2022.
    — Michael Smith, USA Today, 18 July 2026
  • The Jurassic Park star was diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of blood cancer, in 2022.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026
Definition of lymphoma
Noun
  • Monitor for Pests and Disease Healthy plants are better at surviving heat stress than plants that are already weakened, so keep an eye on your tomato plants throughout the growing season for common pests, like tomato hornworm, and diseases, such as early or late blight, white mold, and canker.
    — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 30 May 2026
  • Vines growing on the trunk and branches can hide structural damage or potential hazards like a canker or decayed section of a branch or the trunk.
    — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
Definition of canker
Noun
  • Most, though not all, virus experts think the best evidence indicates the virus jumped from bats to other animals, and then to humans at a Wuhan market.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
  • When a fetus is identified as having the high-risk gene mutation, a harmless virus carrying a healthy copy of the encoding gene is injected directly into the umbilical vein.
    — William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of virus
Noun
  • Further tests revealed that the cancer had started as an undiagnosed melanoma that had then spread to her brain.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 19 July 2026
  • Replimune’s therapy for metastatic melanoma addresses a disease associated with substantial morbidity and mortality despite recent immunotherapeutic advances.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 14 July 2026
Definition of melanoma
Noun
  • Thek had a long-standing fascination with bodies, those repositories of hope and decay, but neither show focusses much on that.
    — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • Without a triggering event, the decay stays visible only to the people doing the extra work.
    — Kerry Huang, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of decay
Noun
  • Kara Keough Bosworth posted a GoFundMe in her mom’s honor on Sunday, sharing the reality star and real estate agent’s story of being diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.
    — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 20 July 2026
  • Doctors diagnosed Phil with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a non-invasive form of breast cancer.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
Definition of carcinoma
Noun
  • To thwart blossom end rot, some gardeners are purchasing blossom set sprays containing calcium to apply to their plants’ foliage.
    — Dawn Pettinelli, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026
  • The most common diseases are crown rot, gray mold, and powdery mildew, all of which are fungal infections caused by stagnant air and waterlogged soil.
    — SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 14 July 2026
Definition of rot

Browse Nearby Words

cancels (out)
cancer
cancers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cancer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cancer. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on cancer

Nglish: Translation of cancer for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cancer

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of maverick

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All