as in to overturn
formal
to cancel (an order) especially by giving a new order
Orders to blow up the bridge were countermanded.
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in veto
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Dissimilar Words
2
as in mandate
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of countermand
Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 30 May 2025
The Manhattan court countermanded the intransigence of the court stenographers and directed the daily publication of the Trump transcripts on a court website.
—Nick Akerman, New York Daily News, 9 May 2025
Their instructions in effect countermanded the order of Mr. Musk across much of the government, challenging the broad authority President Trump has given the world’s richest man to make drastic changes to the federal bureaucracy.
—Chris Cameron, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2025
The ship’s first mate ordered the Arlington onto a course to hug the Canadian North Shore, which would have provided some cover from wind and waves, but Burke countermanded and ordered his ship back onto a course across the open lake, the discoverers said.
—Apress, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for countermand
Noun
What remains will be countermanded at the next change in power, the countermander then adding his or her new round of decrees, and on and on.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 30 May 2025
The Manhattan court countermanded the intransigence of the court stenographers and directed the daily publication of the Trump transcripts on a court website.
—Nick Akerman, New York Daily News, 9 May 2025
Their instructions in effect countermanded the order of Mr. Musk across much of the government, challenging the broad authority President Trump has given the world’s richest man to make drastic changes to the federal bureaucracy.
—Chris Cameron, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2025
The ship’s first mate ordered the Arlington onto a course to hug the Canadian North Shore, which would have provided some cover from wind and waves, but Burke countermanded and ordered his ship back onto a course across the open lake, the discoverers said.
—Apress, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for countermand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for countermand
Verb
-
Later that year, under pressure from the restaurant lobby, the D.C. Council overturned it.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
28 July 2025
-
District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell overturned those actions in May, concluding that Trump was outside his authority in firing the board and its acting president and that, therefore, all subsequent actions were also moot.—
GARY FIELDS,
Arkansas Online,
27 July 2025
Noun
-
Keanu used his power to allow a former houseguest to come in and play the Power of Veto competition in his place; Kelley used hers to compete in an additional veto competition.—
Dina Kaur,
AZCentral.com,
24 July 2025
-
Masterson, an Andover Republican, has defined himself in opposition to Gov. Laura Kelly over the last four years, enacting legislation despite the Democratic governor’s vetoes and working to minimize her role in critical activities, such as shaping the state budget.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
First, the administration asked Congress to revoke the EPA waiver that allows California to set the state's zero-emission vehicle mandate.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
29 July 2025
-
Indeed, this 131-day period may also have constitutional mandates that preclude it from being shortened for purposes of suppressing debate before the special election over the amendment.—
Daniel Kolkey,
Oc Register,
28 July 2025
Verb
-
Timberlake has had to cancel multiple dates on the tour.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
31 July 2025
-
Eleven months ago, Queens of the Stone Age cancelled all the remaining dates on their 2024 tour to allow singer Josh Homme to focus on his health.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
31 July 2025
Noun
-
Mayor Adams vetoed a City Council bill late Wednesday that would decriminalize unlicensed street vending in the five boroughs, teeing up a likely override battle with the chamber’s Democratic members, who accused the mayor of playing into President Trump’s immigration agenda.—
Chris Sommerfeldt,
New York Daily News,
31 July 2025
-
Log every remediation step, software version and override decision.—
Ran Ronen,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
Noun
-
What if my neighbor doesn't follow Milwaukee's rules about weeds and grass?—
Quinn Clark,
jsonline.com,
25 July 2025
-
Her charges, as a rule, have been greatly comforted in their final moments.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
24 July 2025
Verb
-
De Moraes revoked Bolsonaro’s passport and issued additional punishments to the leader who allegedly staged a coup with several dozen others following his 2022 electoral loss to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.—
Kristina Karisch,
The Hill,
31 July 2025
-
The bill would revoke an exemption on ADS-B transmission requests for Department of Defense aircraft.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
31 July 2025
Noun
-
In 1965: In a landmark moment for health care, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed amendments to the Social Securities Act of 1935 into law, creating two federal health programs: Medicare and Medicaid.—
Lorenzino Estrada,
AZCentral.com,
31 July 2025
-
Tuscaloosa's first brewpub, opening after Alabama passed a 2009 gourmet beer law, spotlights musicians, writers and other artists in its Moon Room, serves stylized pub food with indoor-outdoor dining and offers classic pinball, video and board games inside.—
Susan Stapleton,
The Tennessean,
31 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Countermand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/countermand. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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