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
Late in May, the Attorney General of Thailand dropped the charges, countermanding the police. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 6 Feb. 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
  • However, this theory has also been challenged by physicists who argue that the force of methane bubbles is unlikely to be powerful enough to overturn a ship.
    — Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 15 July 2026
  • The referee pointed straight to the spot and there was no chance the video assistant referee (VAR) was going to overturn it.
    — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of overturn
Noun
  • Both totals represent sufficient support to overcome a potential presidential veto with a two-thirds majority in both chambers.
    — John Parkinson, ABC News, 10 July 2026
  • Trump had 10 days until the Friday deadline to sign the bill, issue a veto, or allow the measure to take effect without his signature.
    — Michelle L. Price, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
Definition of veto
Noun
  • The pickup in inflation didn’t go unnoticed at the Fed, which has a legal mandate to insure price stability.
    — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
  • Oceanside has made better progress toward its state housing mandates.
    — Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2026
Definition of mandate
Verb
  • With trips canceled and his shop in Ely low on traffic, his roughly 60 employees, many of them seasonal, are out of work.
    — Kris Millgate, Outdoor Life, 16 July 2026
  • Some investors fear that if viewership is down, subscribers could cancel the service, which would negatively affect the platform’s growing advertising business.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of cancel
Noun
  • Ensure your reviewer's performance evaluation reflects override decisions, not just throughput.
    — Tiffany Archer, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • Republican leaders in the House and Senate failed to muster the votes to enact the bill into law over Kelly’s veto, and no override attempt was made.
    — Matthew Kelly Updated June 25, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2026
Definition of override
Noun
  • In the southern Russian city of Krasnodar, which borders Crimea, another video shows a man filling up a container in the back of his car while two women berate him for breaking the rules.
    — Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • The Marlins tacked on two runs in the second on Lopez’s ground-rule double and Hicks’ sacrifice fly.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
Definition of rule
Verb
  • Censorship occurs when the government tries to revoke the green cards of people whose views its biggest donors would prefer not to hear.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 15 July 2026
  • Instead, Judge Kiley Stuchlik, of Idaho’s 3rd Judicial District, on Tuesday revoked Andrea Renee Shaw’s $2 million bond — leaving the young mother behind bars.
    — Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 14 July 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

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counterintelligence
countermand
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Cite this Entry

“Countermand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/countermand. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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