What does "canon" mean?
A generally accepted principle; a rule.
Canon
/ˈkæn.ən/ adj, name, noun, slang
adj, name, noun, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A generally accepted principle; a rule.
- Grammar: canon is listed as adj, name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: a belief, abuna, act, agnus dei.
- Useful contrasts: anomaly, deviation, exception.
- Usage evidence: The energy of his lines and the rawness of his strokes place him firmly in the modern art canon.
How to use "canon"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "canon" 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 "canon" 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 "canon" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "canon" 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 "canon" is acting as adj, name, noun, 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 "a belief" 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 "canon", 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 generally accepted principle; a rule. countable, uncountable
"The trial must proceed according to the canons of law."
- 2 A type of clergymember serving a cathedral or collegiate church.
- 3 Alternative spelling of qanun. alt-of, alternative
- 4 Alternative spelling of cannon (“weapon”). alt-of, alternative, obsolete
- 5 Obsolete spelling of canyon. alt-of, obsolete
"[page 247:] the most wonderful depressions, gorges, canons, or valleys ever discovered. [page 249:] Some two miles on we come to where the three canons begin. [page 329:] the Canons of the Colorado River. This gave Moran his subject for a second painting, which he called the "Grand Chasm of the Colorado" [...]"
Show 23 more definitions
- 6 Alternative letter-case form of canon: a member of a chapter. alt-of
- 7 a collection of books accepted as holy scripture especially the books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church as genuine and inspired wordnet
- 8 A generally accepted principle; a rule.; A formally codified set of criteria deemed mandatory for a particular artistic style of figurative art. countable, uncountable
"the Canon of Polykleitos"
- 9 A canon regular, a member of any of several Roman Catholic religious orders.
- 10 Alternative spelling of cannon (“a carom in billiards”). alt-of, alternative
- 11 Title for a canon.
"Canon Smith is our new parish priest."
- 12 a complete list of saints that have been recognized by the Roman Catholic Church wordnet
- 13 A group of literary works that are generally accepted as representing a field. countable, uncountable
"Russo had been working as a salesman, selling Great Books of the Western World, hawking the canon to the rubes."
- 14 a rule or especially body of rules or principles generally established as valid and fundamental in a field of art or philosophy wordnet
- 15 The works of a writer that have been accepted as authentic. countable, uncountable
"the entire Shakespearean canon"
- 16 a contrapuntal piece of music in which a melody in one part is imitated exactly in other parts wordnet
- 17 A eucharistic prayer, particularly the Roman Canon. countable, uncountable
- 18 a ravine formed by a river in an area with little rainfall wordnet
- 19 A religious law or body of law decreed by the church. countable, uncountable
"We must proceed according to canon law."
- 20 a priest who is a member of a cathedral chapter wordnet
- 21 A catalogue of saints acknowledged and canonized in the Roman Catholic Church. countable, uncountable
- 22 In monasteries, a book containing the rules of a religious order. countable, uncountable
- 23 A piece of music in which the same melody is played by different voices, but beginning at different times; a round. countable, uncountable
"Pachelbel’s Canon has become very popular."
- 24 A rent or stipend payable at some regular time, generally annual, e.g., canon frumentarius Roman, countable, uncountable
"The lessees of public lands had to pay a perpetual rent or "canon" at some periodical time."
- 25 Those sources, especially including literary works, which are considered part of the main continuity regarding a given fictional universe; (metonymic) these sources' content. slang, uncountable
"A spin-off book series revealed the aliens to be originally from Earth, but it's not canon."
- 26 Alternative form of cannon (“rolled and filleted loin of meat”). alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable
"a canon of beef or lamb"
- 27 A large size of type formerly used for printing the church canons, standardized as 48-point. dated, uncountable
- 28 The part of a bell by which it is suspended; the ear or shank of a bell. countable, uncountable
Adjective
- 1 Clipping of canonical. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, slang
"The franchise's book spinoff is usually not considered canon."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 The Canon of the Mass. with-definite-article
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The energy of his lines and the rawness of his strokes place him firmly in the modern art canon."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "canon"?
Common synonyms include: a belief, abuna, act, agnus dei, album, alleluia.
How do you use "canon" in a sentence?
The energy of his lines and the rawness of his strokes place him firmly in the modern art canon.
How do you pronounce "canon"?
Pronounced /ˈkæn.ən/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English canoun, from Old French canon and Old English canon, both from Latin canōn, from Ancient Greek κανών (kanṓn, “measuring rod, standard”), akin to κάννα (kánna, “reed”), from Semitic (compare Hebrew קָנֶה (qane, “reed”) and Arabic قَنَاة (qanāh, “reed”)). Doublet of qanun. See also cane, cannon, canyon, canal.
Etymology 2
From Middle English canoun, ultimately from Latin canonicus (either by shortening or back-formation from Old English canonic, or via Old Northern French canoine).
Etymology 3
From Spanish cañón, spelling it without the diacritics.
Etymology 4
* As an English, Scottish, and Irish surname, variant of Cannon. * As a French topographical surname, from placenames derived from canne (“reed, cane, tube”). * As a Chaldean/Chaldean Neo-Aramaic surname, variant of Kanon, Kanoun, from [script needed] (Kānūn), the Classical Syriac name of the ninth and tenth months of the Assyrian calendar, from ܟܢܘܢ ܒ.