to can
- verb
- /kæn/
- Informal
- - You were gonna can me, right?
Examples
-
Did he tell you he got canned?
-
If I'm not up on that board by the 30th, they're going to can my ass.
-
The guy you canned the day before Christmas?
-
I mean I canned her, I fired her.
-
Soon afterward, they canned the dean of students and gave his duties to the new vice-principal.
Fiction book (1995) -
-Did you get canned?
-
After being canned, Hirose auditioned for roles, but nothing ever came of his efforts.
Fiction book (2001) -
After the company restructured, they decided to can several employees, including Tom.
-
She was really upset when she found out that they would can her for being late so often.
-
If you continue to ignore the deadlines, you might end up getting canned from your position.
Synonyms
To officially make someone leave their job
To stop employing someone so they lose their job
To make someone stop working for a company
To remove someone from their job
To make someone leave a job by pressure or threats
Make someone leave a job or group because of a problem
To make someone leave their job
To tell someone they must leave their job
To suddenly end someone's job or a relationship, often without warning
Antonyms
Idioms
- Offensive
To attack or punish someone suddenly and violently, often for something they did
- Informal
To not recognize someone at all because you have never met them
Compounds
A small metal or plastic container that holds liquid under pressure and sprays a fine mist
- Literature
Putting off dealing with a difficult issue instead of making a decision now
A 2002 American film by Steven Spielberg starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks
- Specialized
A place on a computer where deleted files stay before they are removed for good
- Specialized
A floating marker like a metal drum that shows a channel edge or danger in the water
How Harsh
- Formal
- UK
- Informal
Surface Forms
Etymology
The informal US verb can meaning 'to fire' probably comes from the idea of putting someone into a 'can' — to get rid of them — so to can someone is to remove them from their job.