Can

/ˈkæn/ intj, name, noun, particle, verb, slang

intj, name, noun, particle, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A container or vessel, especially for liquids, usually made of metal.
  • Grammar: can is listed as intj, name, noun, particle, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: sack, tin can, apricot preserve, arse.
  • Useful contrasts: freedom, incapable, open container.
  • Usage evidence: Sometimes he can be a strange guy.

How to use "can"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "can" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "can" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "can" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "can" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "can" is acting as intj, name, noun, particle, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "sack" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "can", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A container or vessel, especially for liquids, usually made of metal.

    "I keep a can of fuel for emergencies."

  2. 2
    ceric ammonium nitrate uncountable
  3. 3
    airtight sealed metal container for food or drink or paint etc. wordnet
  4. 4
    A container or vessel, especially for liquids, usually made of metal.; A sealed metal container, cylindrical or cuboid in form, typically used to store preserved foods.

    "Soup in a can lasts for years."

  5. 5
    Abbreviation of controller area network. abbreviation, alt-of, countable
Show 22 more definitions
  1. 6
    a room or building equipped with one or more toilets wordnet
  2. 7
    A container used to carry and dispense water for plants (a watering can).
  3. 8
    Initialism of campus area network. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism
  4. 9
    a plumbing fixture for defecation and urination wordnet
  5. 10
    A chamber pot. archaic
  6. 11
    Acronym of community action network. South-Africa, abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, countable
  7. 12
    the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on wordnet
  8. 13
    A chamber pot.; a toilet or lavatory. US, archaic, slang

    "Shit or get off the can."

  9. 14
    Initialism of consistent and asymptotically normal, a statistic estimator Tₙ(X₁, X₂, ..., Xₙ) is CAN (consistent and asymptotically normal) if .... abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
  10. 15
    a buoy with a round bottom and conical top wordnet
  11. 16
    Buttocks. Canada, US, childish, slang, vulgar
  12. 17
    Acronym of court attendance notice. Australia, abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, countable
  13. 18
    the quantity contained in a can wordnet
  14. 19
    The breasts of a woman. Canada, US, slang, vulgar
  15. 20
    Jail or prison. slang

    "Bob’s in the can. He won’t be back for a few years."

  16. 21
    Headphones. in-plural, slang
  17. 22
    A drinking cup. archaic

    "VVhen the vulgar ſort / Sit on their Ale-bench, vvith their cups and kannes, / Matters of ſtate be not their common talke, / Nor pure religion by their lips prophande."

  18. 23
    A cylindrical buoy or marker used to denote a port-side lateral mark
  19. 24
    A chimney pot.
  20. 25
    An E-meter used in Scientology auditing. in-plural, slang
  21. 26
    An ounce (or sometimes, two ounces) of marijuana. US, slang

    "[…] prosecution for selling and giving away marijuana, the evidence clearly constituted substantial proof that a package purchased by defendant contained marijuana where he requested "four cans" of marijuana to be delivered to himself and […]"

  22. 27
    A protective cover for the fuel element in a nuclear reactor.
Verb
  1. 1
    To know how to. auxiliary, defective

    "She can speak English, French, and German."

  2. 2
    To seal in a can. transitive

    "They canned air to sell as a novelty to tourists."

  3. 3
    preserve in a can or tin wordnet
  4. 4
    To be able to. auxiliary, defective

    "Can you remember your fifth birthday?"

  5. 5
    To preserve by heating and sealing in a jar or can. transitive

    "They spent August canning fruit and vegetables."

Show 13 more definitions
  1. 6
    terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position wordnet
  2. 7
    May; to be permitted or enabled to. auxiliary, defective, informal, modal

    "You can go outside and play when you're finished with your homework."

  3. 8
    To discard, scrap or terminate (an idea, project, etc.). transitive

    "He canned the whole project because he thought it would fail."

  4. 9
    To have the potential to; to be possible for (someone or something) to. auxiliary, defective, modal

    "Can it be Friday already?"

  5. 10
    To shut up. slang, transitive

    "Can your gob."

  6. 11
    Used to form requests, typically polite. auxiliary, defective, informal, modal

    "Can you please come over here?"

  7. 12
    To fire or dismiss an employee. US, euphemistic, transitive

    "The boss canned him for speaking out."

  8. 13
    To know. obsolete, transitive

    "ca.1360-1387, William Langland, Piers Plowman I can rimes of Robin Hood."

  9. 14
    To hole the ball. slang, transitive

    "I thought I had canned it, but it just missed, and I tapped in the second one for a par."

  10. 15
    To be (followed by a word like able, possible, allowed). third-person singular simple present indicative of can India, nonstandard, proscribed

    "Importance of Identifying Leaf: Identify Plants: If we can able to identify leaf, we can easily able to identify plants."

  11. 16
    To cover (the fuel element in a nuclear reactor) with a protective cover. transitive
  12. 17
    To be able to or know how to (do something); an accompanying verb is not required if it is already inferable from context. Manglish, Singlish, auxiliary, intransitive

    "Can anot?"

  13. 18
    To be fine or acceptable; to be possible; (with liao or already) to be enough. Often used in conjunction with a variety of clause-final particles, e.g., lah, meh or one, to express different attitudes towards the subject matter. Manglish, Singlish, intransitive

    "Can liao, don’t need to use so much glue."

Intj
  1. 1
    OK, sure; indicates approval or acknowledgment. Manglish, Singlish
  2. 2
    Used to convey reassurance. Manglish, Singlish
Particle
  1. 1
    OK(?); used at the end of a question when seeking approval or acknowledgment. Manglish, Singlish, interrogative

    "I cut this wire, can?"

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    Alternative spelling of Can. alt-of, alternative
  2. 2
    Abbreviation of Controller Area Network, ISO standards 11898, 11898-1, 11898-2, and its predecessor standards. abbreviation, alt-of
  3. 3
    The Andean Community of Nations. initialism
  4. 4
    A river in Essex, England, which joins the River Chelmer in Chelmsford; in full, the River Can.
  5. 5
    A unisex given name; used primarily as a middle name.

    "Police say Huu Can Tran, 72, opened fire at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park, on Saturday night, before fatally shooting himself after a manhunt across the region on Sunday."

Synonyms

All synonyms
sacktin canapricot preservearsearseass

Antonyms

freedomincapableopen containerpint

Example

"Sometimes he can be a strange guy."

Common questions

What does "can" mean?

A container or vessel, especially for liquids, usually made of metal.

What is a synonym for "can"?

Common synonyms include: sack, tin can, apricot preserve, arse, arse, ass.

How do you use "can" in a sentence?

Sometimes he can be a strange guy.

How do you pronounce "can"?

Pronounced /ˈkæn/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English can, first and third person singular of connen, cunnen (“to be able, know how”), from Old English can(n), first and third person singular of cunnan (“to know how”), from Proto-West Germanic *kunnan, from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (whence also know). Doublet of con. See also: canny, cunning.

Etymology 2

From Middle English canne, from Old English canne (“glass, container, cup, jar”), from Proto-Germanic *kannǭ (“can, tankard, mug, cup”).

Etymology 3

Abbreviation

Etymology 4

From Spanish CAN.

More for "can"

Synonyms

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