rescind

verb

re·​scind ri-ˈsind 

rescinded; rescinding; rescinds

transitive verb

1

: to take away : remove

"… from this day I diet him on bread and water— rescind his pocket-money! …"

—George Meredith

… the bean counters send letters that seem to suggest they can rescind the patient's good health unless he pays up immediately.

—Karen Stabiner

2

a

: take back, cancel

refused to rescind the harsh order

rescinded the invitation/offer/proposal

b

: to abrogate (a contract) and restore the parties to the positions they would have occupied had there been no contract

If a repair or replacement is not possible … the consumer may then rescind the contract and get a full refund.

—Grace Duffy

3

: to make void by action of the enacting authority or a superior authority : repeal

rescind an act/policy/judgment

After the trial period, the city will assess how the events went and whether to rescind the law.

—Tammy Murga

rescinder noun

rescindment

ri-ˈsin(d)-mənt 

noun

Did you know?

Rescind and the lesser-known words exscind and prescind all come from the Latin verb scindere, which means “to split, cleave, separate.” Rescind was adapted from its Latin predecessor rescindere in the 16th century, and prescind (from praescindere) and exscind (from exscindere) followed in the next century. Exscind means “to cut off” or “to excise,” and prescind means “to withdraw one’s attention,” but of the three borrowings, only rescind established itself as a common English term. Today, rescind is most often heard in contexts having to do with the withdrawal of an offer, award, or privilege, or with invalidation of a law or policy.

Synonyms of rescind

• cancel
• revoke
• abandon
• scrap
• repeal
• abort

Examples of rescind in a Sentence

The enemies these efforts made for him concocted charges of disloyalty, and following a hearing before the Atomic Energy Commission in 1954, Oppenheimer's security clearance was rescinded. —Kai Bird et al., Smithsonian, Aug. 2005

But Maria convinced Leverich that she had the authority to rescind the executor's decision to appoint him as biographer. —John Lahr, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 1994

The Navy barred its personnel from his church, but he challenged the decree in federal court as a constitutional violation of freedom of religion. Eventually, the Navy rescinded its ban. —Randall Samborn, National Law Journal, 14 Jan. 1991

The navy rescinded its ban on women sailors.

The company later rescinded its offer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Among their requests is that a judge force the state to accept photocopies of eligible ID forms and also to rescind guidance requiring people using certain ID types to register in person. — CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026

Lawmakers in Canada, in an effort to be diplomatic, had rescinded that Online Streaming Act to get more favorable terms on a possible cross-border trade and tariffs deal. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 24 Aug. 2026

In February, the Environmental Protection Agency rescinded vehicle emissions standards. — Razak Diallo, Baltimore Sun, 23 Aug. 2026

The Sacramento City Unified School District on Thursday reaffirmed its support for the agreement with the teachers’ union rescinded by the Sacramento County Office of Education, stressing that the deal remains a key part of its solvency plan. — Chaewon Chung august 21, Sacbee.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French rescinder "to reduce, cut, cancel, break (a contract)," borrowed from Latin rescindere "to remove or lay bare by hewing and cutting, cut or tear open, cancel, annul," from re- re- + scindere "to split, cleave, separate" — more at shed entry 1

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rescind

• chagrined
• downwind
• upwind
• whirlwind
• woodwind
• finned
• ginned
• grinned
• pinned
• sinned
• skinned
• thinned

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Kids Definition

rescind

verb

re·​scind ri-ˈsind 

1

: cancel sense 2a

rescind a contract

2

: to do away with by legislative action

rescind a law

rescinder noun

rescindment

-mənt 

noun

Legal Definition

rescind

verb

re·​scind ri-ˈsind 

transitive verb

1

: to take back and make void

rescinded its suspension of his license

2

: to abrogate (a contract or transaction) by mutual agreement, judicial decree, or unilateral declaration because of fraud, mistake, duress, misrepresentation, illegality, a breach, or another sufficient ground with both parties restored to their positions before the contract was made compare cancel, terminate

3

: to make void by the same or by a superior authority

rescind a regulation

intransitive verb

: to rescind something (as a contract)

rescindable

-ˈsin-də-bəl

adjective

Etymology

Latin rescindere to cut loose, annul, from re- away, back + scindere to cut, split