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cancel

Syllabification: (can·cel)
Pronunciation: /ˈkansəl/

Translate cancel | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of cancel

verb (cancels, canceling, canceled ; British cancelling, cancelled)

[with object]
  • 1decide or announce that (an arranged or planned event) will not take place:he was forced to cancel his visit
  • annul or revoke (a formal arrangement which is in effect):his visa had been canceled
  • abolish or make void (a financial obligation):I intend to cancel your debt to me
  • mark, pierce, or tear (a ticket, check, or postage stamp) to show that it has been used or invalidated: [as adjective]:canceled checks
  • 2(of a factor or circumstance) neutralize or negate the force or effect of (another):the electric fields may cancel each other out
  • Mathematics delete (an equal factor) from both sides of an equation or from the numerator and denominator of a fraction.

noun

  • 1a mark made on a postage stamp to show that it has been used.
  • 2 Printing a new page or section inserted in a book to replace the original text, typically to correct an error: [as modifier]:a cancel title page

Origin:

late Middle English (in the sense 'obliterate or delete writing by drawing or stamping lines across it'): from Old French canceller, from Latin cancellare, from cancelli 'crossbars'

Spelling rule

Do not double the final consonant when adding endings that begin with a vowel to a word that ends in a vowel plus a consonant, if the stress is not at the end of the word (as in target): (cancels, canceling, canceled).

cancel in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of cancel in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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