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countermand 1 of 2

verb

Definition of countermandnext
as in to overturn
formal to cancel (an order) especially by giving a new order Orders to blow up the bridge were countermanded.

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countermand

2 of 2

noun

1
as in veto

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2
as in mandate

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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 countermand
Verb
Advertisement But the Secretary General cannot countermand the nations. — Mark Webber, Time, 24 July 2026 Another said Trump is countermanding the Pentagon, which had made a decision without presidential approval. — Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025 Trump’s Achilles’ heel, where his policies may yet be countermanded by the judicial branch, are his arbitrary tariffs, having their root in a delegation as broad as that for FDR’s National Recovery Administration. — George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 2 July 2025 What remains will be countermanded at the next change in power, the countermander then adding his or her new round of decrees, and on and on. — Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 30 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for countermand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for countermand
  1. overturn
  2. veto
  3. mandate
  4. cancel
  5. override
  6. rule
  7. revoke
  8. overruling
Verb
  • Newsom and other governors have repeatedly denied parole to his closest acolytes, though an appeals court overturned Newsom’s veto of the release of Leslie Van Houten in 2023.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • And, a review went their way that overturned a touchdown for the Saints.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of overturn
Noun
  • Republicans and some Democrats are calling for strengthening the office in the upcoming veto session.
    — Brenden Moore, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The General Assembly should pass the bill during its November veto session.
    — John Schmidt, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of veto
Noun
  • The Alliance rejected accusations of greenwashing at the time, saying its mandate was to identify scalable collection, sorting and recycling solutions and that projects operating at the edge of commercial viability would not all succeed.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Speed is, in many ways, still a mandate for survival in the AI business landscape.
    — Robbie Morrison, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of mandate
Verb
  • Barca saved money on Joao Cancelo after he and Al Hilal cancelled his contract, but he’ll hardly be paid buttons.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Holiday events, parades and fireworks celebrations were canceled across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic because of the extreme heat, USA TODAY previously reported.
    — Ignacio Calderon, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of cancel
Noun
  • Organizations must also monitor output quality by risk, human overrides, false results, escalation volume, complaints, model drift and performance across employee groups.
    — Michael Tyrimos, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Another school district in Colorado has voted to put a mill levy override measure on the ballot this November.
    — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of override
Noun
  • In 2025, World Tennis, the sport’s world governing body, changed the rules, allowing it essentially everywhere.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The main rule is that cows be able to graze 120 days of the year.
    — Vivian Song, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of rule
Verb
  • The Biden administration later revoked that rule and adopted a policy excluding non-cash benefits from consideration.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 2026
  • After the hearing, La Strada was allegedly told to speak with Hoskins, who confirmed his badge was revoked at Hoskins’ direction.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of revoke
Noun
  • The appropriate remedy is congressional overruling of the Marquette case so as to allow the states to regulate loans to their own citizens.
    — George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 11 Apr. 2026
  • In recent years, the court’s conservative majority overruling of major, longstanding precedents has become a defining feature of Roberts’ tenure.
    — Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2025
Definition of overruling

Browse Nearby Words

counterintelligence
countermand
countermanded
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Cite this Entry

“Countermand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/countermand. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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