Dictionary
can•cel
Pronunciation: (kan'sul), [key]
—v., -celed, -cel•ing or (esp. Brit.) -celled, -cel•ling,
—n.
—
v.t.
1. to make void; revoke; annul:
to cancel a reservation.
2. to decide or announce that a planned event will not take place; call off:
to cancel a meeting.
3. to mark or perforate (a postage stamp, admission ticket, etc.) so as to render invalid for reuse.
4. to neutralize; counterbalance; compensate for:
His sincere apology canceled his sarcastic remark.
5. Accounting.
a. to close (an account) by crediting or paying all outstanding charges:
He plans to cancel his account at the department store.
b. to eliminate or offset (a debit, credit, etc.) with an entry for an equal amount on the opposite side of a ledger, as when a payment is received on a debt.
6. Math.to eliminate by striking out a factor common to both the denominator and numerator of a fraction, equivalent terms on opposite sides of an equation, etc.
7. to cross out (words, letters, etc.) by drawing a line over the item.
8. Print.to omit.
—
v.i.
1. to counterbalance or compensate for one another; become neutralized (often fol. by
out):
The pros and cons cancel out.
2. Math.(of factors common to both the denominator and numerator of a fraction, certain terms on opposite sides of an equation, etc.) to be equivalent; to allow cancellation.
—
n.
1. an act of canceling.
2. Print., Bookbinding.
a. omission.
b. a replacement for an omitted part.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
