cans 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of can
1
as in stops
slang to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end can the chatter, or I'm kicking you out of this library

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sacks
to let go from office, service, or employment the cashier was summarily canned for stealing from the registers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cans

2 of 2

noun

plural of can
1
as in barrels
a metal container in the shape of a cylinder the shelter stores huge cans of water for an emergency

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2
as in jails
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody the racketeers were rounded up and thrown in the can

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in restrooms
a room furnished with a fixture for flushing body waste I excused myself and asked if I could use the can

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in seats
the part of the body upon which someone sits he fell on the ice and landed on his can

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cans
Verb
Continue reading … PEWS AND POLITICS — Church cans patriotic staple on Biden’s posh vacation enclave — pastor says tradition ‘doesn’t cut it’. — FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
Noun
Available in a pack of four cans, this sparkling beverage is practically made for passing around the picnic blanket or sipping by the pool. — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2026 His office walls are full of samurai swords and revolutionary art, and his desk is littered with Zyn cans and sugar-free Dr Peppers. — Josh Eells, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026 To put this into perspective, an average adult would need to consume 9-14 cans of diet soda every single day to exceed acceptable limits. — Alexandra Frost, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026 Officers investigating at the scene found a gun in the vehicle, along with empty beer cans and evidence of marijuana use, police said. — Jose Fabian, CBS News, 8 Aug. 2026 Among these items were fingerprints lifted from beer cans held by the shooters during the Welcome Inn bar robbery and fatal shooting. — Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 6 Aug. 2026 Residents are encouraged to use bear-resistant containers with lids latched, store garbage in a garage or shed until collection day, and put cans at the curb the morning of pickup rather than the night before. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026 The concierge desk stocks towels, maps, and cans of mineral water each morning for joggers before and after their exercise. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026 High-risk drinking for women (five or more shots of soju, or three cans of beer, in one sitting, at least twice a week) rose significantly among those over 30 between 2016 and 2025. — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 3 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cans
  1. stops
  2. sacks
  3. barrels
  4. jails
  5. restrooms
  6. seats
  7. ends
  8. removes
Verb
  • The study stops well short of identifying the first artists by name.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Here's where autonomy stops being binary and starts being a loop.
    — John Werner, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of stops
Verb
  • Manning, back for what is probably his final season, is on the short list of best returning quarterbacks in the country and edge rusher Colin Simmons won the SEC sacks title with 12.
    — Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 3 Jan. 2026
  • Riley Moss sacks a scrambling Trevor Lawrence on third-and-4 for a 1-yard loss.
    — Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 21 Dec. 2025
Definition of sacks
Noun
  • The streets are lined with fresh fish laid out on beds of ice and barrels filled with fragrant spices sold at a quarter of the price found in the Grand Bazaar.
    — CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Aug. 2026
  • With fracking — which is already outlawed on offshore platforms in California waters, and is widely viewed as an environmentally degrading and often risky process — Gilda’s production would jump to about 4,000 barrels a day.
    — Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of barrels
Noun
  • They have been used in recent years by some jails and police departments.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Unlike prisons, jails are designed for short-term detention rather than prolonged confinement.
    — Jillian Turanovic, The Conversation, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of jails
Noun
  • Grand Haven City Beach is also a good choice for families, with restrooms and free (but limited) parking.
    — Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
  • In the first, three anonymous 17-year-old Cox Mill High School students sued over the district’s handling of transgender access to girls’ restrooms, locker rooms and changing areas.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of restrooms
Noun
  • For the first time, all 21 seats on the Board of Education are up for grabs.
    — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Hudson-Smith went into the stand and up the stairs to pose next to his name, draped in the British flag, but was surrounded by too many empty seats.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of seats
Verb
  • Amid Pride Park’s sea of black seats, there’s no real sense of where one stand ends and the next starts.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries, or ABIOVE, said the Supreme Court ruling ends years of legal uncertainty and validates voluntary sustainability commitments adopted by traders.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of ends
Verb
  • Critics argue that the shortcut removes the layer of oversight that protects patients from the mistakes that have shaped every prior generation of gene therapy.
    — William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The clock stops once the rider removes his hand from the rope or touches anything with his free arm.
    — Ava DiCecca, Sun Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of removes

Browse Nearby Words

canorous
cans
cant
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Cite this Entry

“Cans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cans. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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