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
John Yoo and John Shu, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
Some of the trees are covered with black canker, a fungal infection.
—Avedis Hadjian, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Jan. 2025
Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 1 Aug. 2019
See All Example Sentences for canker
Verb
The oldest stems, however, are also struggling, given they are affected by sooty bark canker, leaf spot and conk fungal disease.
—John Yoo and John Shu, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
Some of the trees are covered with black canker, a fungal infection.
—Avedis Hadjian, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Jan. 2025
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
-
Krishna discovers that Kaliya is living beneath the surface of a local pond and poisoning its waters with his venom.—
Seamus Sullivan
September 29,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Authorities said Boytsov is also accused of poisoning his wife, who is one of the deceased, with the alcohol.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
And that's because the rot appears to be spreading up the age range to the point that British first-time parents are now more likely to support axing the crown than ever before.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
-
This all speaks to a deeper cultural rot—a lack of vision among people who have become accustomed to a life of doing nothing besides going to the gym, reading a trendy book, listening to a podcast.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Democrats and civil libertarians said Trump corrupted the system of justice by getting involved.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Of course, what that sets up, in the game of Survivor, is someone ready to be corrupted.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Its decay produces flashes of light in the detector that can mimic potential dark matter signals.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Oct. 2025
-
These radioisotopes spontaneously transform into different elements and release radiation – energetic particles or light – in a process called radioactive decay.—
Andrea Richard,
The Conversation,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But warming ocean temperatures, rising sea levels, disease and human activity, such as pollution, have severely degraded Florida's reefs, according to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The team’s goal is to track and predict how asphalt roads degrade.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But upon the couples’ return from their honeymoon, Jones learned her new husband had been diagnosed with cancer.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Her son was born early and had to spend several weeks in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) — but Basnyat said having him by her side gave her the strength and determination to continue her grueling cancer treatment.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Breaking them down to save for a later date isn’t enough, as bugs will still nestle their way in even as the cardboard deteriorates.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Advertisement Our hygiene deteriorates.—
Eli Sharabi,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But even past that, Tactics is directly about how the rich and powerful view the poor and weak as almost subhuman, practically delighting in the squalor and suffering normal people go through.—
Hayes Madsen,
Rolling Stone,
24 Sep. 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Canker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canker. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share