as in to overturn
formal
to cancel (an order) especially by giving a new order
Orders to blow up the bridge were countermanded.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in veto
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mandate
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of countermand
Edgar Sandoval, New York Times, 24 May 2023
More than a century later, Americans are still fighting for these rights as voting rights come under fire and Congress just this week started work on yet another outline to countermand state-level efforts to restrict voting in places like Georgia and Texas.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 25 Aug. 2021
Hutchinson could not countermand him.
—Stacy Schiff, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Sep. 2022
Trump’s argument by noting, among other reasons, that the former chief executive could not countermand the actual president on when executive privilege could be invoked.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 16 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for countermand
Verb
But several policing experts said that creating that kind of training presented a challenge because countermanding orders from an incident commander went against the very orientation of most police departments.
—Edgar Sandoval, New York Times, 24 May 2023
More than a century later, Americans are still fighting for these rights as voting rights come under fire and Congress just this week started work on yet another outline to countermand state-level efforts to restrict voting in places like Georgia and Texas.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 25 Aug. 2021
Hutchinson could not countermand him.
—Stacy Schiff, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Sep. 2022
Trump’s argument by noting, among other reasons, that the former chief executive could not countermand the actual president on when executive privilege could be invoked.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 16 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for countermand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for countermand
Verb
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The case had long been viewed by Palin and other conservatives as a possible vehicle to overturn the 1964 U.S. Supreme Court landmark New York Times v. Sullivan.—
Luc Cohen,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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Still to be determined is Vessel’s plan in Glastonbury; the town rejected it, and Vessel won a Superior Court lawsuit to overturn that decision.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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That veto override vote has been rescheduled several times.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2025
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State lawmakers previously gave Hawthorne extraordinary veto power over any track in the area, but have been considering withdrawing that power.—
Robert McCoppin,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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While Google has been gradually nudging employees back to the office, this latest move amounts to a crack down on workers dodging the hybrid-schedule mandates.—
Shannon Carroll,
Quartz,
24 Apr. 2025
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In 2011, just before a tsunami engulfed the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, the Swiss parliament had discussed discontinuing the 1963 shelter mandate.—
Jessi Jezewska Stevens,
The Dial,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Trump skipped three times during his last presidency (the 2020 affair was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic).—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
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Organizers and the Kennedy Center have canceled a week’s worth of events celebrating LGBTQ+ rights for this summer’s World Pride festival in Washington amid a shift in priorities and the ousting of leadership at one of the nation’s premier cultural institutions.—
Ashraf Khalil,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Moderate Democrats could block the override, and moderates like Reps. Kerry Wood of Rocky Hill and Jill Barry of Glastonbury voted last week against the capital gains surcharge and the overall tax package.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2025
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Would a vote of the commission override recommendations from the interagency review?—
Susan E. Dudley,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In the 13th century, the papacy was vacant for almost three years before the election of Gregory X, who tightened up conclave rules.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
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The author of that rule change, Garth Glissman, is an SEC associate commissioner and driving force behind the effort to pass a similar rule for men’s college hoops.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Verb
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The media changes celebrated by Trump has raised concerns among some in the industry who fear that access to reporting the truth will become increasingly difficult as credentials are revoked and outlets too favorable of the president may not provide full coverage.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Apr. 2025
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Expunging those records, which international students rely on to remain in the U.S. legally, is different from revoking visas.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The state's Senate approved the proposal, which is modeled after Arizona’s law, on April 1.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
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Prosecution: Autism doesn’t prevent death penalty in any state Arguments that other states, such as Ohio and Kentucky, expanded their laws to bar people with serious mental illness from facing the death penalty don’t apply, Hippler said.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Countermand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/countermand. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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