1
as in doctrines
a statement or body of statements concerning faith or morals proclaimed by a church
members of the church must abide by its canons
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in lists
a record of a series of items (as names or titles) usually arranged according to some system
the canon of plays that are attributed to William Shakespeare
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in laws
a collection or system of rules of conduct
the ABA Model Code of Professional Responsibility is a lawyer's canon
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of canons
The Stockholm Series reminded me that one function of canons is to create solidarity.
—
Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Both male and female idols (and the crowds) are drenched by water canons throughout the festival.
—Jae-Ha Kim, Rolling Stone, 8 Dec. 2025
It is eventually revealed that Kawaji was also the man who gave the order to fire canons at the Battle of Toba–Fushimi, killing samurai on both sides after the outcome had been decided.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 13 Nov. 2025
There are no canons of forgery in Quintilian’s Institutes or Cicero.
—JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
Confetti canons shot out glittering rainbows, and Derevjanik began to dance around, shouting in glee.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
On Tuesday, the District Administration Office in Kathmandu said government forces used water canons, tear gas, and rubber bullets in an attempt to clamp down on protests.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 10 Sep. 2025
Peppard believes that before organizations can deliver on the transformational potential of AI, or indeed any transformational technology, there are multiple canons defining the dominant orthodoxy that must be tackled head-on.
—Randy Bean, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Police used water canons and fired rounds of tear gas to push back the demonstrators, who hurled bottles, rocks and flares at them.
—CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Both male and female idols (and the crowds) are drenched by water canons throughout the festival.
—Jae-Ha Kim, Rolling Stone, 8 Dec. 2025
It is eventually revealed that Kawaji was also the man who gave the order to fire canons at the Battle of Toba–Fushimi, killing samurai on both sides after the outcome had been decided.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 13 Nov. 2025
There are no canons of forgery in Quintilian’s Institutes or Cicero.
—JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
Confetti canons shot out glittering rainbows, and Derevjanik began to dance around, shouting in glee.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
On Tuesday, the District Administration Office in Kathmandu said government forces used water canons, tear gas, and rubber bullets in an attempt to clamp down on protests.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 10 Sep. 2025
Peppard believes that before organizations can deliver on the transformational potential of AI, or indeed any transformational technology, there are multiple canons defining the dominant orthodoxy that must be tackled head-on.
—Randy Bean, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Police used water canons and fired rounds of tear gas to push back the demonstrators, who hurled bottles, rocks and flares at them.
—CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canons
Noun
-
Those in support of the bill argue that the Bible's teachings informed the nation's core doctrines, and that the Ten Commandments offer needed moral reinforcement for schoolchildren.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Legal challenges to constitutional doctrines underpinning the modern American administrative state wend their way through increasingly sympathetic courts, promising sweeping changes to the ways our most important institutions act.—
Walter Russell Mead,
The Atlantic,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Korean toner pads are known for their skin-friendly, barrier-first ingredient lists.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Thousands of kids from neighborhoods zoned to chronically underperforming district schools sit on charter school wait lists.—
Darius Jones,
New York Daily News,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Straight men, in particular, are only talked about, kept in the background, or appearing as authority figures trying to uphold absurd laws and traditions.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Often, competitive incentives offered by state governments, state laws that are less friendly to labor unions than many northern states and access to major transportation networks are among the reasons behind the industry’s rise in the South.—
Brian Moody,
AJC.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors.—
Katie Mathews,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Torres carefully searched Facebook Marketplace listings looking for the perfect vehicle.—
Gregory Royal Pratt,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
During the same time, progressive states were adopting constitutions holding government systems directly accountable to voters.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Thirty-seven states have Blaine Amendments in their constitutions.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Also slashed was $4 million that had been awarded to California under the Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation (RECI) program, which supports new energy efficient building codes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Permitting rules and building codes can also be a barrier.—
Vanessa Bates Ramirez,
Scientific American,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Canons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canons. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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