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View synonyms for

cancel

[ kan-suhl ]

verb (used with object)

canceled, canceling or (especially British) cancelled, cancelling.
  1. to make void, as a contract or other obligation; annul: to cancel a magazine subscription.

    to cancel a hotel reservation;

    to cancel a magazine subscription.

    Synonyms: ,

  2. to decide or announce that a planned event will not take place; call off:

    to cancel a meeting.

  3. to mark or perforate (a postage stamp, admission ticket, etc.) so as to render invalid for reuse.
  4. to neutralize; compensate for; counterbalance:

    His sincere apology canceled his sarcastic remark.

  5. to publicly reject, boycott, or no longer support (a person or group) because of socially or morally unacceptable views or actions:

    Fans have been quick to cancel their favorite rapper or other celebrity.

  6. Accounting.
    1. to close (an account) by crediting or paying all outstanding charges:

      He plans to cancel his account at the department store.

    2. to eliminate or offset (a debit, credit, etc.) with an entry for an equal amount on the opposite side of a ledger, as when a payment is received on a debt.
  7. Mathematics. to eliminate by striking out a factor common to both the denominator and numerator of a fraction, equivalent terms on opposite sides of an equation, etc.
  8. to cross out (words, letters, etc.) by drawing a line over the item.
  9. Printing. to omit.


verb (used without object)

canceled, canceling or (especially British) cancelled, cancelling.
  1. to counterbalance or compensate for one another; become neutralized (often followed by out ):

    The pros and cons cancel out.

  2. Mathematics. (of factors common to both the denominator and numerator of a fraction, certain terms on opposite sides of an equation, etc.) to be equivalent; to allow cancellation.

noun

  1. an act of canceling.
  2. Printing, Bookbinding.
    1. an omitted passage, page, etc.
    2. a replacement for an omitted part.

cancel

/ ˈ°ìæ²Ô²õÉ™±ô /

verb

  1. to order (something already arranged, such as a meeting or event) to be postponed indefinitely; call off
  2. to revoke or annul

    the order for the new television set was cancelled

  3. to delete (writing, numbers, etc); cross out

    he cancelled his name and substituted hers

  4. to mark (a cheque, postage stamp, ticket, etc) with an official stamp or by a perforation to prevent further use
  5. also intrusually foll byout to counterbalance; make up for (a deficiency, etc)

    his generosity cancelled out his past unkindness

    1. to close (an account) by discharging any outstanding debts
    2. sometimes foll by out accounting to eliminate (a debit or credit) by making an offsetting entry on the opposite side of the account
  6. maths
    1. to eliminate (numbers, quantities, or terms) as common factors from both the numerator and denominator of a fraction or as equal terms from opposite sides of an equation
    2. intr to be able to be eliminated in this way
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a new leaf or section of a book replacing a defective one, one containing errors, or one that has been omitted
  2. a less common word for cancellation
  3. music a US word for natural
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ³¦²¹²Ô³¦±ð±ô±ô±ð°ù, noun
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Other ˜yÐÄvlogs From

  • ³¦²¹²Ô·³¦±ð±ô·²¹Â·²ú±ô±ð especially British, ³¦²¹²Ô·³¦±ð±ô·±ô²¹Â·²ú±ô±ð adjective
  • ³¦²¹²Ô·³¦±ð±ô·±ð°ù especially British, ³¦²¹²Ô·³¦±ð±ô·±ô±ð°ù noun
  • °ù±ð·³¦²¹²Ô·³¦±ð±ô verb (used with object) recanceled recanceling or (especially British) recancelled recancelling
  • ²õ±ð±ô´Ú-³¦²¹²Ô·³¦±ð±ô±ð»å adjective
  • ²õ±ð±ô´Ú-³¦²¹²Ô·³¦±ð±ô±ô±ð»å adjective
  • un·³¦²¹²Ô·³¦±ð±ô·²¹Â·²ú±ô±ð adjective
  • ³Ü²Ô·³¦²¹²Ô·³¦±ð±ô±ð»å adjective
  • un·³¦²¹²Ô·³¦±ð±ô·±ô²¹Â·²ú±ô±ð adjective
  • ³Ü²Ô·³¦²¹²Ô·³¦±ð±ô±ô±ð»å adjective
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of cancel1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cancellen, cansellen “to annul, revoke,†from Anglo-French canceler, from Old French chanceler “to cross out with X's or parallel lines,†from Medieval Latin ³¦²¹²Ô³¦±ð±ô±ôÄå°ù±ð “to cross out,†from Latin: “to make like a lattice,†derivative of ³¦²¹²Ô³¦±ð±ô±ôÄ« “latticed barriers, gratings, grilles,†plural of cancellus; cancellus
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of cancel1

C14: from Old French canceller, from Medieval Latin ³¦²¹²Ô³¦±ð±ô±ôÄå°ù±ð, from Late Latin: to strike out, make like a lattice, from Latin ³¦²¹²Ô³¦±ð±ô±ôÄ« lattice, grating
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Synonym Study

Cancel, delete, erase, obliterate indicate that something is no longer to be considered usable or in force. To cancel is to cross something out by stamping a mark over it, drawing lines through it, or the like: to cancel a stamp, a word. To delete is to cross something out from written matter or from matter to be printed, often in accordance with a printer's or proofreader's symbol indicating the material is to be omitted: to delete part of a line. To erase is to remove by scraping or rubbing: to erase a capital letter. To obliterate is to blot out entirely, so as to remove all sign or trace of: to obliterate a record.
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Example Sentences

He cancelled the order after just six hours.

From

The plant's Chinese owner, Jingye, has cancelled two cargo shipments of coking coal for the site's two blast furnaces and it has not yet paid for iron pellets that are scheduled to arrive next week.

From

After it passed, Johnson was so irate he canceled all congressional activity for the week and sent members home.

From

Three members of the country's national assembly who opposed President Chaves's decree to exclude Chinese companies from participating in the development of 5G have also had theirs cancelled.

From

Calls for the two UK acts to cancel their concerts emerged after Mr Ozkan went on social media to condemn a fight that broke out in a coffee shop boycotted by protesters.

From

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Canceled Vs. Cancelled

What's the difference between canceled ²¹²Ô»åÌýcancelled?

Canceled and cancelled are alternate forms of the past tense of the verb cancel.

Canceled is the primary spelling used in American English, while cancelled is the spelling used in British English and preferred in many locations, including in the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and Canada. Perhaps for this reason, cancelled is also occasionally used in American English.

This is part of a general British English spelling pattern in which a single letter L at the end of a verb is doubled when the verb is changed to form a different tense, such as by adding –ed for past tense or -ing for continuous tense. So cancelling is used in British English, while canceling is primarily used in American English. This same pattern applies for many words, such as counsel, but not all. When the stress falls on the final syllable, the L is usually doubled (the past tense of propel is typically spelled propelled, for example).

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between canceled and cancelled.

Quiz yourself on canceled vs. cancelled!

True or False? 

The spelling cancelled is never used in American English.

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