51Թ

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View synonyms for

cant

1

[kant]

noun

  1. insincere, especially conventional expressions of enthusiasm for high ideals, goodness, or piety.

    Synonyms: , , ,
  2. the private language of the underworld.

  3. the phraseology peculiar to a particular class, party, profession, etc..

    the cant of the fashion industry.

  4. whining or singsong speech, especially of beggars.



verb (used without object)

  1. to talk hypocritically.

  2. to speak in the whining or singsong tone of a beggar; beg.

cant

2

[kant]

noun

  1. a salient angle.

  2. a sudden movement that tilts or overturns a thing.

  3. a slanting or tilted position.

  4. an oblique line or surface, as one formed by cutting off the corner of a square of cube.

  5. an oblique or slanting face of anything.

  6. Civil Engineering.bank.

  7. a sudden pitch or toss.

  8. Also called flitch.a partly trimmed log.

adjective

  1. oblique or slanting.

verb (used with object)

  1. to bevel; form an oblique surface upon.

  2. to put in an oblique position; tilt; tip.

  3. to throw with a sudden jerk.

verb (used without object)

  1. to take or have an inclined position; tilt; tip.

cant

3

[kahnt]

adjective

Scot. and North England.
  1. hearty; merry.

can't

4

[kant, kahnt]

  1. contraction of cannot.

Cant.

5

abbreviation

  1. Canterbury.

  2. Cantonese.

cant

1

/ æԳ /

noun

  1. inclination from a vertical or horizontal plane; slope; slant

  2. a sudden movement that tilts or turns something

  3. the angle or tilt thus caused

  4. a corner or outer angle, esp of a building

  5. an oblique or slanting surface, edge, or line

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to tip, tilt, or overturn, esp with a sudden jerk

  2. to set in an oblique position

  3. another word for bevel

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. oblique; slanting

  2. having flat surfaces and without curves

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cant

2

/ æԳ /

noun

  1. insincere talk, esp concerning religion or morals; pious platitudes

  2. stock phrases that have become meaningless through repetition

  3. specialized vocabulary of a particular group, such as thieves, journalists, or lawyers; jargon

  4. singsong whining speech, as used by beggars

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (intr) to speak in or use cant

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cant.

3

abbreviation

  1. Canterbury

  2. Bible Canticles

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cant

4

/ ɑːԳ /

adjective

  1. dialectlusty; merry; hearty

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

can't

5

/ ɑːԳ /

contraction

  1. cannot

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Usage

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Spelling Note

See cannot.
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • cantingly adverb
  • cantic adjective
  • ˈԳپ adjective
  • ˈԳپԲ adverb
  • ˈԳٱ noun
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of cant1

First recorded in 1495–1505; from Latin base cant- in cantus “sDzԲ,” canticus “singsong,” etc., whence Old English cantere “sԲ,” cantic “sDzԲ”; chant

Origin of cant2

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English: “side, part, border,” from Anglo-French cant, Old French chant, from an unrecorded Romance cantu(m) with the related senses “rim, border” and “angle corner,” probably from Celtic; compare Latin cant(h)us “tire, iron tire” (from Celtic kantos ), Welsh cant “periphery, rim, felloe” canteen, cantle, canton

Origin of cant3

First recorded in 1325–1375; Middle English cant, kant, kaunt “bold, brave, fierce,” from Low German kant “merry, bold”
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of cant1

C14 (in the sense: edge, corner): perhaps from Latin canthus iron hoop round a wheel, of obscure origin

Origin of cant2

C16: probably via Norman French canter to sing, from Latin Գ; used disparagingly, from the 12th century, of chanting in religious services

Origin of cant3

C14: related to Low German kant bold, merry
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Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idioms beginning with can't, also see beggars can't be choosers; if you can't beat them, join them; you can't take it with you; you can't win them all. Also see under can.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

I love this quote by Ntozake Shange: “i cant count the number of times i have viscerally wanted to attack deform n maim the language that i was taught to hate myself in.”

From

"We cant agree to those narratives," he said.

From

"I still cant really put it down to anything specific," she tells BBC Sport.

From

"I cant wait to be in the audience and watch them react to it. I think they’ll have their tartan out – their scarves and probably dress up for the occasion."

From

What really hampered Sandoval, however, was a lack of endorsements from prominent Latino politicians, who dropped their usual cant of Latino power to back the white guy over the Latina.

From

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