What does cancel mean?
To cancel means to decide that something which was planned, arranged, or issued will not happen or will no longer be valid — a meeting, flight, subscription, order, or contract can all be cancelled. The word also carries a mathematical sense: two opposing forces or amounts are said to cancel each other out when they neutralize each other entirely, leaving nothing behind. In everyday life, cancelling usually carries mild inconvenience or disappointment for someone who expected the thing to occur, and the decision to cancel often signals disruption — bad weather, illness, low demand, or changed circumstances. More recently, the phrase 'cancel culture' gave the word a social dimension, describing the withdrawal of support from public figures deemed to have behaved unacceptably. Derived from the Latin 'cancelli', meaning lattice or grating, the word originally referred to crossing text out with crossed lines, which is why deletion remains central to its core sense.
To call off, revoke, or invalidate something arranged or issued, or to neutralize an opposing force or amount.
"She cancelled her gym membership after moving abroad."
An act of cancelling; informally used in reference to a cancelled event or arrangement.
"The tennis final was declared a cancel after the rain refused to stop."
As a noun this is chiefly British and somewhat informal; the noun form is far less common than the verb.
Applies only to the rarer noun sense of 'cancel'; most usage treats 'cancel' as a verb, so plural forms appear infrequently.
"Several matches were listed among the season's cancels."
Before it meant calling off your plans, 'cancel' meant crossing things out through a lattice — it comes from Latin 'cancelli', the crisscrossed grid of a Roman writing screen.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cancel
The English word 'cancel' comes from the Latin verb 'cancellare', derived from 'cancelli', meaning lattice or grating. In its earliest use it referred to crossing out written text by drawing crossed lines over it, like a lattice. It entered English in the Middle Ages via Old French, initially in legal contexts where documents were invalidated by being struck through, before broadening into the modern general sense of calling off events or voiding agreements. Related words sharing the same root include 'chancel', the area around a church altar once separated by a lattice screen, and 'chancellor', originally the keeper of a latticed doorway or screen.
Related word forms
How cancel is actually used
In British English the past tense is typically spelled 'cancelled' with double L; American English often uses 'canceled'. The phrase 'cancel culture', referring to publicly withdrawing support from public figures, became prominent in the late 2010s.
Easily confused with cancel
'Council' is an advisory or governing body, while 'cancel' is a verb meaning to call off or void something.