can
611
1.0
- noun
- /kæn/
- US
- Did you bring the can opener?
- aluminum cans
- bottles and cans
- aerosol cans
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Watch on YouTubeThere was a full can of cigarette butts.
- There was a full can of cigarette butts.
- A truck sucks milk from cans into its tank.
- So easy about a spray can out of the walls.
- A wine glass, an axe, can of body spray, shaving cream.
Examples
-
The soup came in a can that was easy to open with a tab.
-
Large quantities of discarded beer and soda cans litter the bottom of the bay.
Academic text (1990) -
Wow, I guess I got a beer can collection now.
-
I like to use a can of these white beans.
-
I saw an old woman carrying a can of root beer come in.
Fiction book (1990) -
There have also been proposals to ban the use of metal cans for beer and soft drinks.
Academic text (1999) -
He'd walked home, listened to the radio, and opened a can of soup for dinner.
Fiction book (1990) -
Eating cold beans outta tin cans, sleepin' on your office couch five nights a week.
-
The materials recycled are OCC, ONP, aluminum cans, tin cans, and glass and plastic containers.
Academic text (1999) -
Strewn everywhere are rusted tin cans, flanges of corrugated steel shot through, pipes, and nails.
Academic text (2012)
Synonyms
55
1.0
A metal container for keeping food or small things
26
1.0
A small metal container you open to drink beer
24
1.0
A small metal container for keeping food or drink
24
2.0
A metal container for keeping dry food like tea or flour
12
1.0
A small metal container that holds one fizzy drink
10
1.0
A metal or plastic container used to store ground coffee
8
2.4
A small container that sprays liquid or gas when you press a button
1
1.6
A large metal container with a lid used to store and carry milk
Idioms
- Offensive
2
9.9
To attack or punish someone suddenly and violently, often for something they did
- Informal
1
9.9
To not recognize someone at all because you have never met them
Compounds
4
3.9
A small metal or plastic container that holds liquid under pressure and sprays a fine mist
- Literature
1
9.5
Putting off dealing with a difficult issue instead of making a decision now
- Specialized
1
8.4
A floating marker like a metal drum that shows a channel edge or danger in the water
1
4.1
A 2002 American film by Steven Spielberg starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks
- Specialized
1
2.9
A place on a computer where deleted files stay before they are removed for good
How Much
Surface Forms
Etymology
Can comes from an old word canne, which meant 'cup' or 'small container', so the modern can is just a metal version used to hold food or drink.