cancel
[verb]
Synonyms:
- call off, abolish, abort, annul, delete, do away with, eliminate, erase, expunge, obliterate, repeal, revoke
- cancel out: make up for, balance out, compensate for, counterbalance, neutralize, nullify, offset

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Related Words: end, terminate, annul, invalidate, rescind, revoke, give up, relinquish, surrender

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English Thesaurus: cancel, call off, be off, postpone, shelve, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

can‧cel S2 /ˈkænsəl/ verb (past tense and past participle cancelled, present participle cancelling British English, canceled, canceling American English)
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: French; Origin: canceller 'to cross out', from Latin cancellare 'to make like a frame of crossed bars', from cancer 'frame of crossed bars', from carcer 'prison']

1. [intransitive and transitive] to decide that something that was officially planned will not happen:
Our flight was cancelled.
I’m afraid I’ll have to cancel our meeting tomorrow.
You’ll just have to ring John and cancel.

REGISTER
In everyday English, people often say call something off rather than cancel something:
■ We’ll just have to cancel. ➔ We’ll just have to call it off.

2. [intransitive and transitive] to end an agreement or arrangement that you have with someone:
I phoned the hotel to cancel my reservation.
The bank agreed to cancel all the company’s debts.

3. [transitive] to say officially that a document can no longer be used or no longer has any legal effect:
I phoned the bank to cancel the cheque.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

cancel
verb
BAD: The meeting has been cancelled until next Thursday.
GOOD: The meeting has been postponed until next Thursday.

Usage Note:
cancel = arrange for a planned event not to take place after all: 'Five of their players were either ill or injured, and so the match had to be cancelled.'
postpone = arrange for a planned event to take place at a later time or date: 'We've decided to postpone the wedding until Steve has found a job.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

cancel to decide that something that was officially planned will not happen:
The teacher was ill so classes were cancelled for the day.
I was feeling better so I cancelled my doctor’s appointment.
They were forced to cancel the concert when the conductor became ill.
call off to cancel a meeting, game, or event that you have organized. Call off is less formal than cancel and is very commonly used in everyday English:
Linda decided to call the wedding off.
The game was called off due to heavy rain.
be off if an event or activity is off, it has been cancelled because of a sudden problem or change in someone’s plans:
I’m afraid the party’s off. Nick won’t let us use his apartment.
Myers called me yesterday to tell me that the deal was off.
postpone to decide to do something at a later time, instead of the time that was officially planned:
The show has been postponed until next Saturday.
shelve (also put something on ice) to decide not to continue with a plan, project etc although it may be considered again at some time in the future:
Plans for a new stadium have been shelved for now.
The project had to be put on ice due to lack of funding.
Blears called for the discussions to be put on ice until after the elections.
annul formal to officially decide that a marriage, result, or agreement has no legal authority and is therefore cancelled:
The election results were annulled by the courts.
A marriage can be annulled if there has been lack of consent.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲