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Definition of cancel verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

cancel

verb
 
/ˈkænsl/
 
/ˈkænsl/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they cancel
 
/ˈkænsl/
 
/ˈkænsl/
he / she / it cancels
 
/ˈkænslz/
 
/ˈkænslz/
past simple cancelled
 
/ˈkænsld/
 
/ˈkænsld/
past participle cancelled
 
/ˈkænsld/
 
/ˈkænsld/
(US English) past simple canceled
 
/ˈkænsld/
 
/ˈkænsld/
(US English) past participle canceled
 
/ˈkænsld/
 
/ˈkænsld/
-ing form cancelling
 
/ˈkænslɪŋ/
 
/ˈkænslɪŋ/
(US English) -ing form canceling
 
/ˈkænslɪŋ/
 
/ˈkænslɪŋ/
Phrasal Verbs
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  1. [transitive] cancel something to decide that something that has been arranged will not now take place
    • All flights have been cancelled because of bad weather.
    • The prime minister has abruptly cancelled a trip to Washington.
    • to cancel a meeting/a show/an event
    • The Foreign Office is not advising people to cancel their travel plans.
    • The wedding was cancelled at the last minute.
    • The president fell ill and was forced to cancel all public engagements.
    • When the war broke out all leave was cancelled.
    • She abruptly cancelled a scheduled meeting.
    compare postpone
  2. [transitive, intransitive] to say that you no longer want to continue with an agreement, especially one that has been legally arranged
    • No charge will be made if you cancel within 10 days.
    • cancel something to cancel a contract/policy/subscription
    • Is it too late to cancel my order?
    • The US has agreed to cancel debts (= say that they no longer need to be paid) totalling $10 million.
    Topics Discussion and agreementb2
  3. [transitive] cancel something to mark a ticket or stamp so that it cannot be used again
  4. cancel somebody (disapproving) to exclude somebody from social or professional life by refusing to communicate with them online or in real life, because they have said or done something that you do not agree with
    • Some campaigned to cancel the writer after she expressed her views on transgender rights.
    Topics Social issuesc2
  5. Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘obliterate or delete writing by drawing or stamping lines across it’): from Old French canceller, from Latin cancellare, from cancelli ‘crossbars’.
See cancel in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee cancel in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
previously
adverb
 
 
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