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
Synonyms & Similar 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 canons
There are no canons of forgery in Quintilian’s Institutes or Cicero.
—
JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
The confetti canons that blast moments later are blinding.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 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
Such lists and canons will always be flawed, partial, and contested.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2025
The canons instead succumbed to Tanchelm’s influence and began to follow him themselves.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
The confetti canons that blast moments later are blinding.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 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
Such lists and canons will always be flawed, partial, and contested.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2025
The canons instead succumbed to Tanchelm’s influence and began to follow him themselves.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canons
Noun
-
The Fed chair’s grounding in history liberated him from rigid doctrines and encouraged innovative policymaking.—
John T. Shaw,
Twin Cities,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Courts, for their part, developed legal doctrines that require them to presume the President’s good faith in deferring to him.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Months ago, Peterson researched different top-10 lists of iconic jazz records to cross-check the Athenaeum collection with the records held in highest regard.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Nov. 2025
-
The best travel pillows are at the top of our editors’ lists for long flights, road trips, and everything in between.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The cemetery of good but dead laws is infinite; the main thing is that social forces exist.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
-
On the one hand, consumer protection laws are a hallmark of the region.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The permits that both companies have received to test and operate their self-driving vehicles became a contentious issue in the lead up to the listings.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Firms listed in mainland China, including home appliance manufacturer Midea and battery-maker CATL, have launched secondary listings in Hong Kong in order to draw international investment.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
That’s true enough — but constitutions can be changed.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Many had helped create state constitutions that included pioneering bills of rights.—
Donald Nieman,
The Conversation,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The most successful acquisitions are the ones where the buyer commits to heritage and maintaining the values, the identity and the codes of the brand, while evolving them and growing the brand.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Across subreddits, cohorts on X, Discord servers, Facebook groups, and even LinkedIn pages, Lopez tracked chatbot enthusiasts sharing codes, manifestos, glyphs, diagrams, and poetry generated with AI, and presenting the material as profound glimpses into a shifting reality.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Canons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canons. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share