What does "canker" mean?
A plant disease marked by gradual decay.
Canker
/ˈkæŋkɚ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A plant disease marked by gradual decay.
- Grammar: canker is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abscess, adulterate, aggravate, alloy.
- Useful contrasts: cure, heal, healthy mucosa.
- Usage evidence: I bit the inside of my lip and got a canker sore.
How to use "canker"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "canker" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- 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 "canker" 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 "canker" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "canker" 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 "canker" is acting as noun, verb 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 "abscess" 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.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "canker", 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 A plant disease marked by gradual decay. countable, uncountable
- 2 a pernicious and malign influence that is hard to get rid of wordnet
- 3 A region of dead plant tissue caused by such a disease. countable, uncountable
"Slightly sunken brown cankers of variable size and shape affect stem parts primarily below the soil line."
- 4 an ulceration (especially of the lips or lining of the mouth) wordnet
- 5 A worm or grub that destroys plant buds or leaves; cankerworm. countable, uncountable
"loathsome canker lives in sweetest bud[…]"
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 a fungal disease of woody plants that causes localized damage to the bark wordnet
- 7 A corroding or sloughing ulcer; especially a spreading gangrenous ulcer or collection of ulcers in or about the mouth. countable, uncountable
- 8 Anything which corrodes, corrupts, or destroys. countable, uncountable
"the cankers of envy and faction"
- 9 A kind of wild rose; the dog rose. countable, uncountable
"To put down Richard, that ſweet louely Roſe, And plant this thorne, this canker Bullingbrooke?"
- 10 An obstinate and often incurable disease of a horse's foot, characterized by separation of the horny portion and the development of fungoid growths. Usually resulting from neglected thrush. countable, uncountable
- 11 An avian disease affecting doves, poultry, parrots and birds of prey, caused by Trichomonas gallinae. countable, uncountable
- 12 A crab. Cornwall, countable, rare, uncountable
"This Caſtoꝛ liueth by water and lande, he loueth to feede vpon Crabbes and Cankers of the Sea."
Verb
- 1 To affect as a canker; to eat away; to corrode; to consume. transitive
"Still onward winds the dreary way; / I with it; for I long to prove / No lapse of moons can canker Love, / Whatever fickle tongues may say."
- 2 infect with a canker wordnet
- 3 To infect or pollute; to corrupt. transitive
- 4 become infected with a canker wordnet
- 5 To waste away, grow rusty, or be oxidized, as a mineral. intransitive
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To be or become diseased, or as if diseased, with canker; to grow corrupt; to become venomous. intransitive
"as with age his body uglier grows, So his mind cankers."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I bit the inside of my lip and got a canker sore."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "canker"?
Common synonyms include: abscess, adulterate, aggravate, alloy, aphthous ulcer, aposteme.
How do you use "canker" in a sentence?
I bit the inside of my lip and got a canker sore.
How do you pronounce "canker"?
Pronounced /ˈkæŋkɚ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English canker, cancre, from Old English cancer (“cancer; crab”), akin to Dutch kanker, Old High German chanchar. Ultimately from Latin cancer (“a cancer”). Doublet of cancer, a later borrowing from Latin, and chancre, which came through French.
Etymology 2
From Middle English cankren, from the noun (see above).