as in to poison
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
such shameless ambulance chasing cankers the legal profession
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rot
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 canker
Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 1 Aug. 2019
Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024
Most oral cancers are bumpier than ordinary cankers.
—Matt Fuchs, TIME, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for canker
Verb
Start by removing all blighted twigs and cankered branches 6 to 10 inches below the edge of visible infection.
—Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 1 Aug. 2019
Noun
Most of the mature chestnut trees had vanished — the victim of canker fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024
Most oral cancers are bumpier than ordinary cankers.
—Matt Fuchs, TIME, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for canker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canker
Verb
-
Scores of sea lions and dolphins have been fatally poisoned in recent months by domoic acid, a neurotoxin produced by harmful algal blooms.—
Corinne Purtill,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Morgan was previously married to Keith Whitley from 1986 to his alcohol poisoning death in 1989 at age 34.—
Rachel DeSantis,
People.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
From top-to-bottom, this agency is a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer—a national security risk for this nation—and irretrievably broken.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
18 Mar. 2025
-
The mulch should be kept a couple of inches away from the crown of each plant to prevent rot and should be no deeper than 2 inches.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Stuart Miller, Boynton Beach Seven memorable words Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Apr. 2025
-
The show followed an ensemble of one-percenters at the titular resort in Hawaii, observing how their privilege blinds them to reality and corrupts everyone around them, leading to conflicts, cruelty, and, eventually, violence.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
One hundred and thirteen years later, much of the great vessel — and what’s left of its splendors — remains in the same spot it was found four decades ago in 1985, though decay and human interference have changed its form over time.—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Water fluoridation has been proven to be so effective at preventing tooth decay that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) named it one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century, a time during which Americans' life expectancies rose by 30 years.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Yields usually fall when fear is dominating markets, but their surprising earlier rise stirred fears that Trump’s trade war was degrading the U.S. bond market’s status as one of the world’s safest places to keep cash.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Unlike many other archaeological sites in Sweden, where acidic soil degrades organic material, Strandvägen’s conditions have allowed organic material to survive for many years, as Gummesson tells the publication.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
This is comparative to the cancer risk from alcohol use and being overweight, according to an April 14 news release from the university.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Both diets can support heart health, lower cancer risk, and help prevent type 2 diabetes.—
Isabel Vasquez RD LDN,
Health,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Experts noted that the election took place in a deeply divided nation, where citizens were split on how best to confront surging crime and a deteriorating economy.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Israel-Turkey relations deteriorated in 2010 after Israeli naval commandos intercepted a humanitarian flotilla attempting to breach the blockade on the Gaza Strip.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
And what of the fact that Snow White, abandoned in the woods (where the Huntsman is too kindhearted to carry out the Evil Queen’s order to murder her), comes upon a cottage where seven cute, quarrelsome 249-year-old short men with Amish beards live in bachelor squalor and become her protectors?—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2025
-
They are often banned from visiting temples and forced to live apart from higher-caste communities, often in squalor and farther from access to services.—
Esha Mitra,
CNN,
22 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Canker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canker. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share