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# cancel

«cancel» in Mova's school dictionary: **To decide that a planned event will not happen** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (cancel, cancels, cancelled, cancelling); noun (a cancel — rare)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To decide that a planned event will not happen. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cancel/#m1)

2) To stop an order, booking or ticket so that it no longer counts. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cancel/#m2)

3) In maths, to remove the same factor or number from both parts, as when making a fraction simpler. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cancel/#m3)

4) (cancel out) Of two things: to have equal and opposite effects so together they make nothing. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cancel/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In everyday life, matches, trips and school days get cancelled because of bad weather, illness or snow; on a computer «Cancel» stops an action. In maths, you cancel a fraction by dividing top and bottom by the same number (6/8 → 3/4), and +5 and −5 cancel out. In science, two equal forces pushing opposite ways cancel out and the object does not move. Phrases: «cancel out», «cancel a booking», «be cancelled because of».

### examples

- The football match was cancelled because of the rain. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cancel/#x1)
- School was cancelled after the big snowstorm. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cancel/#x2)
- Mum cancelled the dentist appointment. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cancel/#x3)
- Click «Cancel» if you don't want to delete the file. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cancel/#x4)
- Cancel the twos: 2/6 becomes 1/3. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cancel/#x5)
- Adding 4 and then taking 4 away cancel each other out. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cancel/#x6)
- Two equal pushes from opposite sides cancel out, so the box stays still. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cancel/#x7)
- The flight was cancelled and we had to stay another night. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cancel/#x8)

### note

British: cancelled, cancelling (double l); American: canceled, canceling (one l). Noun: «cancellation». Cancelling a fraction does not change its value — 3/4 is the same amount as 6/8. A cancelled event is not just late (that is «delayed» or «postponed»); it will not happen as planned.

### In the corpora

- [A subscription keeps taking money every month until it is cancelled, and free trials often turn into payments.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/7-cards-banks-and-apps/17/)
- [When an acid meets an alkali, they react and cancel each other out: this is called neutralisation.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/2/)
- [Dad takes an antacid tablet for heartburn: the alkali in it cancels some stomach acid and the burning eases.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/4/)
- [Alkalis react with acids and cancel them out; this is called neutralisation.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/9/)
- [Antacid tablets contain an alkali that cancels some stomach acid; medicines are taken only as an adult or doctor directs.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/10/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «cancel» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cancel/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.