as in inclination
the degree to which something rises up from a position level with the horizon
a steep cant of the riverbank at that turn in the river
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in deception
the pretending of having virtues, principles, or beliefs that one in fact does not have
many accused the evangelist of cant, since his lavish lifestyle seemed to bear little resemblance to what he was preaching
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terminology
the special terms or expressions of a particular group or field
the colorful cant used by movie producers and publicity agents in Hollywood
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in leaning
running in a slanting direction
the cant buttresses on the interior walls are made of solid oak
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 cant
Literary Hub, 29 Oct. 2025
If thieves’ cant—a language known only to criminals—was the Devil’s cabinet, bourgeois society couldn’t help but peep inside.
—JSTOR Daily, 27 June 2024
Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 21 Jan. 2026
Alex stood across the living room, his head canted down and his eyes fixated on a carousel of TikTok videos emanating from his mother’s cellphone.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
Verdier’s most notable innovation is the use of a canting keel as the support for one of the foils, with the other two contact points being a foil on the rudder and, alternately, the two lateral foils.
—Bill Springer, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Verdier’s innovative design will use a canting keel as the support for one of the foils, with the other two contact points being a foil on the rudder and the two lateral foils.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 26 June 2025
The cockpit is canted towards the driver and the warm glow of the ambient lights bathe the cabin in red.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
While Cahan’s novella canted toward Jake’s perspective, Rothstein’s play is an unabashedly feminist-forward retelling.
—Rhoda Feng, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Sharply angled surfaces, called chines, run from the nose to the air intakes on either side of the lower fuselage; chines then run further back from those intakes to the wings and to twin tail fins, which are slightly canted from the vertical.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Jan. 2020
Noun
In the past, most serious coppice-workers divided the underwood into sections (known variously as panels, cants, fells, coupes, sales, burrows, and haggs), each containing a range of species on different cycles, so guaranteeing a crop every year.
—Literary Hub, 29 Oct. 2025
If thieves’ cant—a language known only to criminals—was the Devil’s cabinet, bourgeois society couldn’t help but peep inside.
—JSTOR Daily, 27 June 2024
Verb
The center screen is handsomely integrated well below your road-facing sightline, and slightly canted toward the driver for exceptional readability.
—Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 21 Jan. 2026
Alex stood across the living room, his head canted down and his eyes fixated on a carousel of TikTok videos emanating from his mother’s cellphone.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
Verdier’s most notable innovation is the use of a canting keel as the support for one of the foils, with the other two contact points being a foil on the rudder and, alternately, the two lateral foils.
—Bill Springer, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Verdier’s innovative design will use a canting keel as the support for one of the foils, with the other two contact points being a foil on the rudder and the two lateral foils.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 26 June 2025
The cockpit is canted towards the driver and the warm glow of the ambient lights bathe the cabin in red.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
While Cahan’s novella canted toward Jake’s perspective, Rothstein’s play is an unabashedly feminist-forward retelling.
—Rhoda Feng, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Sharply angled surfaces, called chines, run from the nose to the air intakes on either side of the lower fuselage; chines then run further back from those intakes to the wings and to twin tail fins, which are slightly canted from the vertical.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Jan. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cant
Verb
-
At one point, the individual appears to tilt their head away from a doorbell camera, hold a flashlight in their mouth and attempt to cover the lens with a gloved hand and what looked like part of a plant pulled from the yard.—
Bradford Betz , Matt Finn,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
-
In one of the videos, the person tilts their head downward while walking through the home’s front archway.—
Tom Winter,
NBC news,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
During the playoffs, Darnold played through an oblique injury that many thought would limit his production.—
Antwan Staley,
Hartford Courant,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Outfielder Kyle Stowers emerged as an All-Star and was trending toward receiving down-ballot MVP votes before his season ended with a left oblique strain in mid-August.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The cars were situated on a little plateau, almost a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by downward sloping terrain.—
Scott Eden,
Rolling Stone,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Low fence markers can be seen outlining the building zone along Route 2, which slopes along open land, wooded patches and some ravines.—
Anna Ortiz,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Their test setup involved a ramp containing sand to simulate sloping dunes on Mars.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Longtime supporters have jumped ship, viewing the LDP as too old-fashioned and center-leaning, and instead flocked to new right-wing parties.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Fischnaller leaned hard on her family, teammates and coaches, as well as her then-boyfriend, now husband, Italian luger Dominik Fischnaller, the two-time Olympic bronze medalist in men’s singles after earning the podium again Sunday in the men’s event.—
Lindsay Schnell,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The sloped, landscaped half-acre lot offers a terrace and a two-car garage.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
30 Jan. 2026
-
This can prevent sloped roofs from shedding snow properly and cause snow to accumulate on flat or low-slope roofs, FEMA said.—
Bailey Allen,
The Providence Journal,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Bashar is on the left, his body slightly angled away, his face uneasy.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Now imagine the same with some of those teary eyes angled down toward glowing screens, while others frame the bride with their phones.—
Nikita Khanna,
Vogue,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cant. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
