2
general::
cancel sth out
[ M ]
to remove the effect of one thing by doing another thing which has the opposite effect
• This month's pay cheque will cancel out his debt, but it won't give him any extra money.
Cambridge-Phrasal Verbs
3
general::
cancel
to decide that something that was officially planned will not happen:
• The teacher was ill so classes were cancelled for the day. • I was feeling better so I cancelled my doctor’s appointment. • They were forced to cancel the concert when the conductor became ill.
call off
to cancel a meeting, game, or event that you have organized. Call off is less formal than cancel and is very commonly used in everyday English:
• Linda decided to call the wedding off. • The game was called off due to heavy rain.
be off
if an event or activity is off, it has been cancelled because of a sudden problem or change in someone’s plans:
• I’m afraid the party’s off. Nick won’t let us use his apartment. • Myers called me yesterday to tell me that the deal was off.
postpone
to decide to do something at a later time, instead of the time that was officially planned:
• The show has been postponed until next Saturday.
shelve
( also put something on ice ) to decide not to continue with a plan, project etc although it may be considered again at some time in the future:
• Plans for a new stadium have been shelved for now. • The project had to be put on ice due to lack of funding. • Blears called for the discussions to be put on ice until after the elections.
annul
formal to officially decide that a marriage, result, or agreement has no legal authority and is therefore cancelled:
• The election results were annulled by the courts. • A marriage can be annulled if there has been lack of consent.
Longman-Thesaurus