ENGLISH
REFERENCE

cancel

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈkænsəɫ// UK //kˈænsəl// can·cel Archaic General-service Slang

v. to decide that a planned event will not happen. It can also mean to stop a service or subscription you no longer want.

v. to decide or announce that a planned event will not take place; to annul or invalidate a formal arrangement or subscription. Transitive — requires a direct object.


SIMPLE

They had to cancel the match because of the heavy rain.

CONTEXTUAL

I need to call the bank to cancel my credit card because I lost my wallet yesterday.

COMPLEX

The network decided to cancel the series after the first season due to a significant decline in viewership and rising production costs.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English cancellen, from Anglo-Norman canceler (“to cross out with lines”) (modern French chanceler (“to stagger, sway”)), from Old French canceler, from Latin cancellō (“to make resemble a lattice”), from cancellus (“a railing or lattice”), diminutive of cancer (“a lattice”).

Usage

The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. In British English, the final 'l' is doubled in inflected forms (cancelled, cancelling), whereas American English typically uses a single 'l'.

Pitfall

The meeting was cancelled of the rain.The meeting was cancelled because of the rain.Cancel is a verb, not a preposition; it requires a conjunction or prepositional phrase like 'because of' to link it to a reason.

Idioms1 entry

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