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
-
The bank turned over lists of customers to the FBI without subpoenas, warrants or any legal obligation to do so, according to the complaint.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Their representations of words or pictures are just long lists of numbers, each indicating the degree of activation of a specific artificial neuron.—
Ben Brubaker,
Quanta Magazine,
7 Jan. 2026
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
-
All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Check your local listings for showtimes in your area.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Most of Mamdani’s predecessors were sworn in on a Bible, although the oath to uphold the federal, state and city constitutions does not require the use of any religious text.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Fortune,
2 Jan. 2026
-
Most of Mamdani’s predecessors were sworn in on a Bible, although the oath to uphold the federal, state and city constitutions does not require the use of any religious text.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Reza Pahlavi himself has distributed messages calling for defections among the armed forces, and coordinated protests through QR codes.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Consumers, meanwhile, are being asked to absorb the costs of aggressive climate mandates, including electric vehicle requirements and restrictive building codes, while state agencies have failed to comply with their own mandates.—
Tom J. Pyle,
Boston Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Canons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canons. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share