Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "cancel" []

  • To cross out with lines or other markings. See Synonyms at erase. (verb-transitive)
  • To annul or invalidate. (verb-transitive)
  • To mark or perforate (a postage stamp or check, for example) to indicate that it may not be used again. (verb-transitive)
  • To equalize or make up for; offset: Today's decline in stock price canceled out yesterday's gain. (verb-transitive)
  • Mathematics To remove (a common factor) from the numerator and denominator of a fractional expression. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "cancel" in a sentence
  • "Again, asking students to "please call to cancel" is not a viable solution."
  • "I couldn't find any information on how to cancel until I entered the word cancel In the site's search engine."
  • "When you see a lot of little objects moving crazily back and forth, all the different motion signals that get sent to the brain cancel each other out."