cant 1 of 4

noun (1)

Definition of cantnext
as in inclination
the degree to which something rises up from a position level with the horizon a steep cant of the riverbank at that turn in the river

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cant

2 of 4

noun (2)

1
as in deception
the pretending of having virtues, principles, or beliefs that one in fact does not have many accused the evangelist of cant, since his lavish lifestyle seemed to bear little resemblance to what he was preaching

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terminology
the special terms or expressions of a particular group or field the colorful cant used by movie producers and publicity agents in Hollywood

Synonyms & Similar Words

cant

3 of 4

adjective

as in leaning
running in a slanting direction the cant buttresses on the interior walls are made of solid oak

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cant

4 of 4

verb

as in to tilt
to set or cause to be at an angle carefully canted the ladder against the wall

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 cant
Noun
The front end has a shark nose design and the top edge of the hood cants foward. — Joel Feder, The Drive, 21 May 2026 The fairway cants to the right. — ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
Verb
The cabin of a Lusso is a special place, notable for its dash, which prominently positions the huge speedometer and tach centrally and canted toward the driver. — Robert Ross, Robb Report, 16 Feb. 2026 Alex stood across the living room, his head canted down and his eyes fixated on a carousel of TikTok videos emanating from his mother’s cellphone. — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cant
  1. inclination
  2. deception
  3. terminology
  4. oblique
  5. tilt
  6. slope
  7. deceit
  8. vocabulary
Noun
  • At Roberto Cavalli, makeup artist Yadim had the same inclination for highly pigmented metallic shades, a choice that punctuated key looks also at Jil Sander.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • OpenAI’s closest rival, Anthropic, has shown no inclination to delay its own IPO, which is expected sometime before year’s end.
    — Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of inclination
Noun
  • Nefarious actors have long been keen to fill the gap through what international law describes as coercion, deception and abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability.
    — Robert P. George, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The suspect, identified as 58-year-old Zishan Zeng, was charged with two counts of elder exploitation and two counts of theft by deception.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of deception
Noun
  • Students were learning dates and terminology instead of poetry.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The terminology, the system, the college routine, all those things start to come.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of terminology
Adjective
  • Rookie Cameron Carr is out and day-to-day because of a right oblique strain.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The Lakers were without new guard Collin Sexton (calf) and first-round pick Cameron Carr (oblique), and swingman Jake LaRavia left the court limping in the fourth quarter.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of oblique
Verb
  • Perhaps the script is unduly tilted by Ramos’ drawling, sincerely beguiling delivery.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Opposition parties have also alleged that the electoral roll revisions tilted the electoral field in the BJP’s favor in the West Bengal election held earlier this year, helping the party win power in the state for the first time.
    — Asim Ali, Time, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of tilt
Noun
  • Highlights include the verdant jungle at Cap Cana, the lush volcanic slopes above Saint-Pierre in Martinique, and the coral gardens off Kralendijk in Bonaire.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Caltrans has secured millions in emergency funding to fix a large crack that has developed in the slope below Pacific Coast Highway near Laguna Beach.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of slope
Noun
  • The best way Ray can think of to do so is to tail her shady husband, Dom (Bobby Cannavale) — all the way into a sordid (but still vaguely family-friendly) web of deceit, murder, blackmail and gangland drama.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026
  • These rosy reveries gradually darken as Wilde remembers succumbing to hedonism, deceit, debt, and disgrace.
    — Hannah Aizenman, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of deceit
Noun
  • Clean, high quality neutral linens do more work than almost any other upgrade, borrowing from the vocabulary of luxury interior design without the price tag.
    — Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Name what is happening and create a common vocabulary for the ecosystem.
    — Bob Pearson, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of vocabulary

Browse Nearby Words

cans
cant
cantankerous
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cant. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on cant

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cant

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All