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cant
1[ kant ]
noun
- insincere, especially conventional expressions of enthusiasm for high ideals, goodness, or piety.
- the private language of the underworld.
- the phraseology peculiar to a particular class, party, profession, etc.:
the cant of the fashion industry.
- whining or singsong speech, especially of beggars.
verb (used without object)
- to talk hypocritically.
- to speak in the whining or singsong tone of a beggar; beg.
cant
2[ kant ]
noun
- a salient angle.
- a sudden movement that tilts or overturns a thing.
- a slanting or tilted position.
- an oblique line or surface, as one formed by cutting off the corner of a square of cube.
- an oblique or slanting face of anything.
- Civil Engineering. bank 1( def 6 ).
- a sudden pitch or toss.
- Also called flitch. a partly trimmed log.
adjective
- oblique or slanting.
verb (used with object)
- to bevel; form an oblique surface upon.
- to throw with a sudden jerk.
can't
4[ kant, kahnt ]
- contraction of cannot.
Cant.
5abbreviation for
- Canterbury.
- Cantonese.
cant
1/ kænt /
noun
- insincere talk, esp concerning religion or morals; pious platitudes
- stock phrases that have become meaningless through repetition
- specialized vocabulary of a particular group, such as thieves, journalists, or lawyers; jargon
- singsong whining speech, as used by beggars
verb
- intr to speak in or use cant
Cant.
2abbreviation for
- Canterbury
- Bible Canticles
can't
3/ kɑːnt /
contraction of
- cannot
cant
4/ kɑːnt /
adjective
- dialect.lusty; merry; hearty
cant
5/ kænt /
noun
- inclination from a vertical or horizontal plane; slope; slant
- a sudden movement that tilts or turns something
- the angle or tilt thus caused
- a corner or outer angle, esp of a building
- an oblique or slanting surface, edge, or line
verb
adjective
- oblique; slanting
- having flat surfaces and without curves
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Usage Note
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Spelling Note
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Derived Forms
- ˈcantingly, adverb
- ˈcanter, noun
- ˈcantic, adjective
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Other Words From
- canting·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins
Origin of cant1
Origin of cant2
Origin of cant3
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Word History and Origins
Origin of cant1
Origin of cant2
Origin of cant3
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Idioms and Phrases
- 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
- can
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Example Sentences
Satirists occupy a perilous position—to skewer dogma and cant, and to antagonize the establishment while needing its protection.
And of course: “Bye Ryan Braun, you cheating piece of sh*t. CANT JEW YOUR WAY OUT OF IT THIS TIME.”
“Only those cant [sic] read chinese and not familiar with modern chinese history will believe the story,” wrote one.
On the periphery, tents pitched under overpasses cant against the dirty wind.
Bath's The Secret of Castle Cant is ranked No. 331,025 in book sales on Amazon's site.
But I cant stay here all day; Mrs. Towne is to take me to spend the day with the Gesners.
I didnt think much of that, but he said afterward, A man may do in an hour what he cant undo in a lifetime.
I cant let you increase your indebtedness, and his pudgy hand lifted the basket and put it on the shelf behind him.
A grain—requiring to be picked out with a pin and microscope—of truth, with a bushel of bunkum or cant.
Cant expect money before its due, I spose, said the old man, licking his thin lips.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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