cancel
cancel — verb
1. to decide that a planned activity, meeting, or gathering should not go ahead; or
to decide that a planned activity, meeting, or gathering should not go ahead; or to tell a business you wish to stop receiving a service or a product you previously asked for.
The outdoor concert was cancelled because of the thunderstorm.
passive: was cancelled + reason clause
Leila cancelled her flight to Tokyo and asked for a refund.
cancel + direct object (booking/flight)
If you are feeling unwell, it is fine to cancel and stay home.
intransitive use: cancel without an object
Ravi cancelled his gym membership after moving to a new neighbourhood.
cancel + membership / subscription
The school cancelled all sports events for the rest of the term.
- cancel an appointment
- cancel a flight
- cancel a subscription
- cancel a reservation
- cancel a meeting
- cancel an order
- confirm
to say that a planned event will definitely happen
- go ahead with
to proceed as planned
Grammar Patterns
cancel + noun phrase (event, order, appointment)
cancel + (no object)
Usage Note
Commonly used in both transitive (cancel + something) and intransitive (just 'cancel') patterns. The passive form — 'something is cancelled' — is very frequent in announcements.
Common Mistakes
2. to stop producing or broadcasting a television programme, usually because of low
to stop producing or broadcasting a television programme, usually because of low viewer numbers or budget problems.
The network cancelled the drama after only six episodes.
cancel + TV show + time reference
Fans started an online petition when their favourite series was cancelled.
passive: series was cancelled
Hana was disappointed to learn that the streaming service had cancelled the show she loved.
cancel + show + disappointed reaction
The channel cancelled the late-night programme to make room for a news segment.
- cancel a series
- cancel a programme
- cancel a show
- cancelled after one season
- axe
informal British term for cancelling a show or project
- discontinue
more formal, broader use beyond television
- renew
to order more episodes of a TV show
Grammar Patterns
cancel + noun phrase (TV show, series, programme)
Usage Note
Subject is usually a TV network, streaming platform, or production company. The passive ('the show was cancelled') is very common in entertainment news.
3. to officially remove the legal or official force of a document, agreement, or ri
to officially remove the legal or official force of a document, agreement, or right, so that it is no longer valid.
The court cancelled the contract because one party had broken the terms.
legal context: court cancels a contract
Tomás had to cancel his passport after it was stolen during the trip.
cancel + official document (passport)
The company cancelled the debt of all families affected by the flood.
cancel + debt / financial obligation
A judge can cancel a marriage certificate if the marriage was not legal.
- cancel a contract
- cancel a licence
- cancel a debt
- cancel a passport
- cancel a policy
- validate
to confirm that something is legally effective
Grammar Patterns
cancel + noun phrase (document, contract, agreement)
Usage Note
Used in formal, legal, or administrative contexts. The object is typically a legal instrument such as a contract, licence, passport, debt, or marriage. Do not confuse with sense 1 (cancelling a planned event) — this sense removes formal validity rather than stopping an activity.
4. to print or press an official mark onto a postage stamp or ticket, proving it wa
to print or press an official mark onto a postage stamp or ticket, proving it was already used and preventing it from being spent on postage a second time.
The postal worker cancelled the stamp with a special machine.
agent + cancel stamp + instrument
Collectors often prefer stamps that have not been cancelled.
cancelled (participial adjective) — stamp condition
Each letter received a postmark that cancelled the stamp attached to it.
passive with postmark mechanism
The old machine used a purple ink to cancel each stamp by hand.
- cancel a stamp
- cancelled stamp
- uncancelled stamp
- cancel by machine
- frank
to mark mail with an official stamp or signature showing postage is paid, slightly different process
Grammar Patterns
cancel + noun phrase (stamp, ticket, postage)
Usage Note
This is a specialist sense used in postal services and stamp collecting. The object is nearly always a stamp or ticket. An uncancelled stamp has not been marked and can still be used for postage or is more valuable to collectors.
5. to remove or cross out a piece of text, a command, or a selection so that it is
to remove or cross out a piece of text, a command, or a selection so that it is deleted or no longer appears.
You can cancel the selected text by pressing the Delete key.
cancel + text + keyboard action
Yusuf cancelled the last sentence and rewrote it more clearly.
cancel + sentence in editing context
The editor cancelled several paragraphs to shorten the article.
cancel + paragraph + reason
Press the Escape key to cancel the current operation.
- cancel a command
- cancel text
- cancel a selection
- cancel an operation
- delete
more common in computing for permanently removing data
- cross out
used for marking text on paper with a line through it
- strike through
formal editing term for drawing a line through text
- keep
to retain text or content
Grammar Patterns
cancel + noun phrase (text, word, command, selection)
Usage Note
In computing, 'cancel' is often used interchangeably with 'delete' but usually refers to cancelling a command or action rather than permanently erasing data. The noun 'cancel' in this context is rare; use 'cancellation' instead.
6. to stop supporting or following a famous person, company, or brand as a form of
to stop supporting or following a famous person, company, or brand as a form of public protest, usually after those people or groups made statements or took actions that others consider offensive.
Fans threatened to cancel the singer after his offensive remarks went viral.
cancel + public figure + reason clause
Some people say cancel culture makes it hard for anyone to learn from their mistakes.
collocation: cancel culture
The influencer was cancelled by thousands of followers overnight.
passive: was cancelled + agent
Aiko refused to cancel her friend over a small misunderstanding.
- cancel culture
- get cancelled
- cancel someone online
- cancelled by fans
- support
to continue backing a person or brand
Grammar Patterns
cancel + noun phrase (person, celebrity, public figure)
Usage Note
This modern sense emerged from social-media activism. It often appears in the phrases 'cancel culture' and 'cancelled' (as a past-participle adjective, e.g. 'an actor who has been cancelled'). Use is informal and controversial; the term carries strong opinions on either side.
Common Mistakes
cancel out
phrasal verbTo stop something from having an effect by having an equal and opposite effect.
The two errors in the calculation canceled each other out.
Does the discount cancel out the shipping fee?
cancel — noun
1. the act or instance of calling something off, stopping a service, or removing va
the act or instance of calling something off, stopping a service, or removing validity — a shortened form of the word 'cancellation', used in informal or fast-paced contexts such as booking systems.
A last-minute cancel freed up a seat on the flight.
noun: a cancel = a cancellation slot
The hotel charges a fee for any cancel made less than 24 hours before check-in.
noun: cancel in booking context
There were too many cancels, so the restaurant stopped taking advance bookings.
plural: cancels
The receptionist noted the cancel in the system and processed the refund.
- a last-minute cancel
- no-cancel policy
- a sudden cancel
- cancellation
the standard and more formal noun form
- confirmation
the act of confirming a booking or arrangement
Usage Note
This noun form is less formal than 'cancellation'. It is most common in travel, hospitality, and booking contexts ('a cancel', 'no-cancel policy'). In formal writing, prefer 'cancellation'.