as in to poison
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
such shameless ambulance chasing cankers the legal profession
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rot
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of canker
Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 1 Aug. 2019
Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024
Most of the mature chestnut trees had vanished — the victim of canker fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024
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
The canker fungus lives on in the inner bark of fledgling trees and encircles the stem.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024
Most of the mature chestnut trees had vanished — the victim of canker fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for canker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canker
Verb
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The toxins accumulate in filter-feeding fish, and then poison larger mammals who gobble up the fish in mass quantities.—
Corinne Purtill,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
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Historically, grizzlies were shot, trapped and poisoned across much of the continent, reducing them to just 45 percent of their former North American range by the 1970s, with the remnants almost entirely in Canada and Alaska.—
Lesley Evans Ogden,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 May 2025
Noun
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The issues start when the seaweed washes ashore, rots and emits hydrogen sulfide.—
Alix Martichoux,
The Hill,
4 June 2025
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John Heard and Daniel Stern lead a scrappy ensemble of skeptics, activists, and urban outcasts navigating a conspiracy that tunnels deep into institutional rot.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
21 May 2025
Verb
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To make matters worse, beyond unintentional biases, bad actors may corrupt AI technologies by feeding false or divisive information into AI training data.—
Corinne Post,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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In one poignant conversation, Hoover described how the GDs needed to corrupt our youth.—
Ronald S. Safer,
Chicago Tribune,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Fluoride is under increasingly intense fire despite its dramatic ability to prevent tooth decay.—
Erika Edwards,
NBC news,
30 May 2025
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Meanwhile, about 40% of US children had access to optimal fluoride levels that effectively prevent tooth decay – between 0.6 and 1.5 milligrams per liter – while about 46% had access to even lower levels.—
Deidre McPhillips,
CNN Money,
30 May 2025
Verb
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Use of this material has been proposed in the past, but has been hampered by the fact that making CNTs involves metals, and the residue left behind ends up degrading electrical performance.—
Alex Knapp,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
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Briefly, however, while advocates say that isolating water conveyance from the Delta would improve habitat for fish and other wildlife, opponents contend that less water flowing through the estuary would further degrade its water quality.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
13 June 2025
Noun
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People with the highest blood levels of PBDEs were approximately 300% more likely to die from cancer as people with the lowest levels, according to an April 2024 study.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
5 June 2025
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One was the case of Billy Bennett, who died from cancer of the larynx in 2017.—
Emilia Otte,
Hartford Courant,
5 June 2025
Verb
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However, the situation is expected to deteriorate further as Netanyahu gave a public speech saying Israel’s military action may last several days.—
Gaurav Sharma,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
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Eventually, Paley’s eyesight deteriorated due to diabetes.—
Meilan Solly,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 June 2025
Noun
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The film’s sheer, unrelenting squalor can wear you down, too.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
19 May 2025
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Women gather together, all fully covered in the Islamic niqab, as hundreds of young children from strikingly diverse ethnic backgrounds wander through the squalor.—
Richard Engel,
NBC News,
12 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Canker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canker. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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