cancel

English

Alternative forms

• cancell

Etymology

From Latin cancelli (“a railing or lattice”), diminutive of cancer (“a lattice”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kænsəl̩/

Verb

cancel (third-person singular simple present cancels, present participle cancelling (Commonwealth), canceling (American), simple past and past participle cancelled (Commonwealth), canceled (American))

1. (transitive) To cross out something with lines etc.
2. (transitive) To invalidate or annul something.

   He cancelled his order on their website.

3. (transitive) To mark something (such as a used postage stamp) so that it can't be reused.

   This machine cancels the letters that have a valid zip code.

4. (transitive) To offset or equalize something.

   The corrective feedback mechanism cancels out the noise.

5. (transitive) (mathematics) To remove a common factor from both the numerator and denominator of a fraction, or from both sides of an equation.
6. (transitive) (media) To stop production of a programme.

Synonyms

• belay

Translations

cross out

• Bulgarian: задрасквам (bg) (zadraskvam), зачерквам (bg) (začerkvam)
• Czech: škrtnout (cs), škrtat (cs)
• Danish: strege ud (da), stryge (da)
• Dutch: doorhalen (nl)
• Estonian: kustutama (et)
• Finnish: yliviivata (fi)
• Georgian: გადახაზვა (ka) (gadaxazva), წაშლა (ka) (cašla)
• German: ausstreichen (de)
• Greek: διαγράφω (el) (diagráfo)

• Hungarian: kihúz (hu)
• Irish: síog (ga)
• Italian: depennare (it), cancellare (it), eliminare (it)
• Norwegian Bokmål: stryke (nb)
• Polish: skreślić (pl)
• Russian: зачёркивать (ru) (začórkivatʹ) impf., зачеркнуть (ru) (začerknútʹ) pf.
• Swahili: ghairi (sw)
• Swedish: stryka (sv) (över)

invalidate, annul

• Arabic: ألغى (ar) (ʾálġā)
• Bulgarian: отменям (bg) (otmenjam), анулирам (bg) (anuliram)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 取消 (cmn) (qǔxiāo), 廢除 (cmn), 废除 (cmn) (fèichú)

• Czech: zrušit (cs), stornovat (cs)
• Danish: annullere (da), afbestille (da), aflyse (da)
• Dutch: annuleren (nl)
• Estonian: tühistama (et)
• Finnish: mitätöidä (fi), kumota (fi), peruuttaa (fi)
• French: annuler (fr), résilier (fr) (a telephone contract, a subscription), se désabonner (fr) (a subscription), mettre fin (fr)
• Georgian: გაუქმება (ka) (gauk'meba), ანულირება (ka) (anulireba)
• German: annullieren (de), streichen (de)
• Greek: ακυρώνω (el) (akyróno)

• Hebrew: ביטל (he) (bitél)
• Hungarian: visszavon (hu), töröl (hu)
• Italian: invalidare (it), annullare (it), recidere (it), cassare (it)
• Japanese: 取り消す (ja) (とりけす, torikesu), キャンセルする (ja) (kyanseru-suru)
• Polish: odwołać (pl), anulować (pl)
• Russian: отменять (ru) (otmenjátʹ) impf., отменить (ru) (otmenítʹ) pf.; аннулировать (ru) (annulírovatʹ) impf. and pf.
• Spanish: cancelar (es)
• Swahili: ghairi (sw)
• Swedish: annullera (sv), avbryta (sv) (about an action), upphäva (sv) (about a given order, or a rule)
• Vietnamese: hủy (vi)

mark as used

• Danish: stemple (da) (cancelling stamps)
• French: oblitérer (fr) (cancelling stamps)
• German: entwerten (de), abstempeln (de)
• Greek: ακυρώνω (el) (akyróno)

• Italian: obliterare (it), annullare (it)
• Russian: погашать (ru) (pogašátʹ) impf., погасить (ru) (pogasítʹ) pf.
• Swedish: stämpla (sv) (cancelling stamps)

offset, equalize

• Czech: vyrušit (cs)
• Danish: ophæve (da)
• French: neutraliser (fr), compenser (fr)
• Greek: αντισταθμίζω (el) (antistathmízo)

• Italian: neutralizzare (it), compensare (it), filtrare (it)
• Russian: отсекать (ru) (otsekátʹ) impf., отсечь (ru) (otséčʹ) pf.
• Swahili: ghairi (sw)
• Swedish: upphäva (sv), släcka ut (sv), ta ut (sv)

remove a common factor

• Bulgarian: съкращавам (bg) (sǎkraštavam)
• Czech: krátit (cs)
• Danish: forkorte (da)
• Dutch: schrappen (nl)
• Estonian: taandama (et)
• French: éliminer (fr), annuler (fr)
• Georgian: შეკვეცა (ka) (šekvec'a), გაბათილება (ka) (gabat'ileba)

• German: kürzen (de)
• Hungarian: egyszerűsít (hu)
• Polish: skrócić (pl)
• Russian: сокращать (ru) (sokraščátʹ) impf., сократить (ru) (sokratítʹ) pf.
• Swahili: ghairi (sw)
• Swedish: förkorta (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: annuler (1)
• Luxembourgish: ännerungen
• Spanish: cancelar

Noun

cancel (plural cancels)

1. A cancellation (US); (nonstandard in some kinds of English).
   1. (Internet) A control message posted to Usenet that serves to cancel a previously posted message.
2. (obsolete) An inclosure; a boundary; a limit.

   A prison is but a retirement, and opportunity of serious thoughts, to a person whose spirit […] desires no enlargement beyond the cancels of the body. — Jeremy Taylor.

3. (printing) The suppression on striking out of matter in type, or of a printed page or pages.

Translations

cancellation

• Danish: aflysning, afbestilling, annullering
• French: annulation (fr) f
• Greek: ακύρωση (el) (akýrosi) f, ματαίωση (el) (mataíosi) f

• Italian: cancellazione (it) f, annullamento (it) m, cassazione (it) f
• Swahili: ghairi (sw)

mark cancelling a sharp or flat

• Danish: ophævningstegn
• French: bécarre (fr) m
• Greek: διαγραφή (el) (diagrafí) f

• Italian: spuntato (it)
• Swahili: ghairi (sw)
• Swedish: återställningstecken (sv) n

Related terms

• chancel
• cancellation
• chancellery
• chancellor
• chancery

External links

• cancel in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• cancel in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• cancel at OneLook Dictionary Search