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
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
Avedis Hadjian, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Jan. 2025
Representatives of California State Parks notice that trees at the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in La Jolla have been infected with a fungus called pitch canker (Fusarium circinatum), which has the potential to damage or kill the rare trees.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Dec. 2024
Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 1 Aug. 2019
See All Example Sentences for canker
Verb
Some of the trees are covered with black canker, a fungal infection.
—Avedis Hadjian, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Jan. 2025
Representatives of California State Parks notice that trees at the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in La Jolla have been infected with a fungus called pitch canker (Fusarium circinatum), which has the potential to damage or kill the rare trees.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Dec. 2024
Noun
Start by removing all blighted twigs and cankered branches 6 to 10 inches below the edge of visible infection.
—Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 1 Aug. 2019
See All Example Sentences for canker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canker
Verb
-
In pre-trial evidence released last month, Erin's ex-husband Simon also accused Erin of attempting to fatally poison him on multiple occasions, per the BBC.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The patients allegedly poisoned were between the ages of 4 and 89, according to Le Monde.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The goal of the game, as the title would suggest, is to steal brain rot characters from other players.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Multiple videos show kids sobbing over losing their brain rot character.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
We are absolutely not corrupted.—
Sarah Larson,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Microsoft has found no evidence that a recent Windows 11 update can corrupt a PC’s SSD, despite some user reports flagging the issue.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
To determine if a root canal is needed, dentists conduct a thorough exam, often with X-rays, to evaluate decay, damage and the tooth’s internal condition.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Its alignment with figures like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un symbolizes the isolation and reputational decay of a regime that relies on coercion rather than consent.—
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Today’s batteries depend on scarce resources like lithium and cobalt and degrade over time.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
-
These perform well at low to medium heat, but begin to degrade around 500 °F, potentially releasing harmful fumes that can pose health risks.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
That said, there are risks to taking HRT, particularly for anyone who has ever had breast or endometrial cancer, a heart attack or stroke, blood clots, or liver disease.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Multiple myeloma is a chronic (long-term) blood cancer that affects plasma cells made in the bone marrow, which is spongy tissue found inside bones.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In San Francisco, a development called Hunters View built in 1956 to provide temporary workforce housing was still inhabited and badly deteriorating by the early 2000s.—
Jeffrey Steele,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
But the relations have deteriorated significantly since the start of the war in Gaza, with Israeli officials voicing growing anger at Qatar, accusing the government of harboring Hamas and not putting enough pressure on it to agree to a ceasefire.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Nearly two weeks after San Jose began dismantling its largest homeless encampment, the city is set to open its first-ever safe sleeping site, which will provide tents for dozens of the approximately 370 residents who have lived in dilapidated RVs and squalor at Columbus Park.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
31 Aug. 2025
-
The cottage retains its utopian squalor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Canker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canker. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share