variants
or cancelling
1
as in abandoning
to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to)
please call to cancel your appointment with the dentist if you can't make it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abolishing
to put an end to by formal action
the agreement can be canceled by either side with a formal written notice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in deleting
to show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it
canceled the check and wrote a new one
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in erasing
to destroy all traces of
it seemed as though all honor and decency had been canceled by the war's new moral order
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 canceling
What to pack and how to prepare Kids’ ears are more sensitive than adults’, so bring kid-sized earplugs or noise-canceling headphones.
—
Lauren Schuster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 June 2026
In 2024, Joe Biden sailed to the Democratic presidential nomination after a primary process that was little more than a formality, with the Florida Democratic Party even cancelling its primary in March to anoint Biden.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
28 June 2026
Trump also reinforced his anti-labor bona fides, Mrvan said, by canceling collective bargaining for 450,000 federal employees.
—
John Lippert,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2026
Lightning and downpours caused Centeroo to close for hours during the afternoon, canceling acts including Trombone Shorty, Blondshell and Aly & AJ, who expressed disappointment after having their Bonnaroo set nixed by weather for the second year in a row.
—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 June 2026
Experts advise tailoring trips to individual needs, focusing on predictability and bringing essential tools like noise-canceling headphones.
—
Jennifer Jay Palumbo,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2026
McLaren and Red Bull are protesting the ruling which handed Pierre Gasly back third place after canceling a time penalty.
—
ABC News,
26 June 2026
Sessions can cover almost anything, including scheduling, canceling subscriptions, gathering 1099s for taxes, or even drafting a screenplay.
—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
26 June 2026
The Soundcore P31i earbuds pack flagship technology into a pocket-sized design, featuring adaptive noise cancelling that can silence up to 52dB of external roar.
—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
26 June 2026
Lauren Schuster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 June 2026
In 2024, Joe Biden sailed to the Democratic presidential nomination after a primary process that was little more than a formality, with the Florida Democratic Party even cancelling its primary in March to anoint Biden.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
28 June 2026
Trump also reinforced his anti-labor bona fides, Mrvan said, by canceling collective bargaining for 450,000 federal employees.
—
John Lippert,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2026
Lightning and downpours caused Centeroo to close for hours during the afternoon, canceling acts including Trombone Shorty, Blondshell and Aly & AJ, who expressed disappointment after having their Bonnaroo set nixed by weather for the second year in a row.
—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 June 2026
Experts advise tailoring trips to individual needs, focusing on predictability and bringing essential tools like noise-canceling headphones.
—
Jennifer Jay Palumbo,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2026
McLaren and Red Bull are protesting the ruling which handed Pierre Gasly back third place after canceling a time penalty.
—
ABC News,
26 June 2026
Sessions can cover almost anything, including scheduling, canceling subscriptions, gathering 1099s for taxes, or even drafting a screenplay.
—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
26 June 2026
The Soundcore P31i earbuds pack flagship technology into a pocket-sized design, featuring adaptive noise cancelling that can silence up to 52dB of external roar.
—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
26 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canceling
Verb
-
This is self-transcendence—not abandoning the self but expanding beyond a narrow sense of it.
-
While tackling expensive debt is a smart financial decision, abandoning your retirement has consequences.
Verb
-
Many of its candidates support entirely eliminating immigration enforcement, abolishing the police, sweeping wealth redistribution and expanding government ownership over significant sectors of the economy.
-
But how does that -- how does abolishing prisons or having open borders fit into that?
Verb
-
However, because agentic systems can execute actions independently, an error can become a severe operational failure, such as authorizing fraudulent transactions or deleting mission-critical databases.
-
González recommends deleting it immediately, running a security scan, keeping an eye on your transactions, and reporting the incident to your local consumer protection office or the police.
Verb
-
Maybe Destiny 2 needed to end at some point, but there’s a difference between that and announcing the next stage of the IP, and erasing it from existence and laying off the hundreds of talented team members still making great content right down to the last minute.
-
Electronic dance music scholars have noted that countercultural scenes have shifted into a global industry, reshaping or erasing local meanings in favor of commercialization.
Verb
-
Another decision allows the administration to proceed with revoking temporary legal status for hundreds of thousands of immigrants.
-
Zelensky formally responded on Saturday in a decidedly undiplomatic post on X, subtly trashing the Polish government for revoking his award while not doing so with other historical awardees that many would object to.
Verb
-
In one significant policy shift, Lewis George campaigned on repealing former Metropolitan Police Department chief Pamela Smith’s executive order directing her officers to cooperate with federal immigration authorities for individuals not in police custody.
-
Council members narrowly passed the ordinance repealing the ban by a 7-5 vote, with some voting against the measure as a form of protest.
Verb
-
Frustratingly, Rubus armeniacus is notoriously difficult to get rid of, as traditional approaches to invasive management such as fire, herbicide, and mowing are insufficient at eradicating the plant.
-
Incomplete or inappropriate antibiotic courses amplify this effect by exposing bacteria to sub-therapeutic drug concentrations without eradicating them.
Verb
-
The crew coordinated with air traffic control and performed a go-around, which involves aborting a landing attempt and climbing away from the runway, to avoid an American Airlines plane that was departing from an intersecting runway, The Guardian reported.
-
Apollo 13 zoomed around the Moon after famously aborting its lunar landing mission.
Cite this Entry
“Canceling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canceling. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
