canker 1 of 2

verb

Definition of cankernext
as in to poison
to lower in character, dignity, or quality such shameless ambulance chasing cankers the legal profession

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

canker

2 of 2

noun

as in rot

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 canker
Noun
Recognize bacterial canker by the dead branches covered by sap drippings. — Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 13 Feb. 2026 This damages the trunk and leaves an ugly, elongated canker that invites insects and stresses the tree, leading to stunted growth, sparse foliage, and stem dieback. — Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Jan. 2026 Bacterial plant diseases include speck (a winter-surviving infection that attacks tomatoes), canker (which damages fruit trees including those producing apples and peaches), and blight (which rots melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, beans, and more). — New Atlas, 10 Jan. 2026 Even the most superb body begins to diminish in a person’s early 30s, thanks to the onset of sarcopenia, which sounds like a canker but means the incremental decline of muscle mass. — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for canker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canker
  1. poison
  2. rot
  3. corrupt
  4. decay
  5. degrade
  6. cancer
  7. deteriorate
  8. squalor
Verb
  • Plus, some samples of Martian soil contain high levels of perchlorates, toxic chemical compounds, also found in rocket fuel, that could potentially poison the planet’s supplies of water and food.
    — Brian Gallagher, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Could something so commonplace really be slowly poisoning people?
    — Sean McCann, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of poison
Noun
  • Check stored bulbs monthly and discard any showing signs of rot.
    — Pam Rosendal, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The atmosphere persists even when the characters are off the air, as if to suggest that the seeping rot of the show has metastasized into every moment of their lives.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of rot
Verb
  • Delphi sits above a geologic vent, an X from which noxious gases escaped the earth, corrupting the minds of women who inhaled and pronounced their prophecies.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The audience is interacting with an object that had been scanned, that had been corrupted in some way.
    — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of corrupt
Noun
  • The inspector reported that there were two carrots and one celery stalk that have white growth and decay in the container next to the juicer.
    — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Protesters in recent weeks have clashed with police to demand their government increase investments in public schools, which have long suffered from staff shortages and infrastructural decay.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of decay
Verb
  • As a side benefit, because only the tread is in contact with the road, the rest of the tire could be made of non-traditional polymers that don't degrade into tiny particles under force of friction.
    — Ben Coxworth October 07, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Local farms face ever degrading soil conditions, tougher markets and more extreme weather patterns.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of degrade
Noun
  • Amount of recent grant to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation to fund the largest global research initiative into the rise of breast cancer rates in young women.
    — Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Last year, Manilow revealed that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer and that surgery would require him to postpone several performances.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of cancer
Verb
  • Meanwhile, at the celebratory crew dinner, the we’re-all-in-this-together vibe starts to deteriorate.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Her condition deteriorated rapidly over the following 48 hours.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of deteriorate
Noun
  • The Yolo County parents of a 7-day-old infant found living in squalor in a tent under an overpass have pleaded not guilty to the child endangerment charges against them, records show.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Bryant was charged in February 2025 with first-degree child abuse after investigators found that her children — at the time ages 12, 13, and 15 — had been living alone for at least four years in a townhouse on Lydia Lane, trapped in squalor.
    — Andrea May Sahouri, Freep.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of squalor

Browse Nearby Words

canisters
canker
cankered
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Canker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canker. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on canker

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about canker

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of galore

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All