Definition of can in english

Can I offer you something to drink? Can I make a suggestion? These men cannot be allowed to profit from their criminal activities. How can you say such a thing! You can guess how I felt when he said I was too old. Temperatures can reach degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. Even minor head injuries can be serious. How can I possibly refuse such a charming invitation? Can there be any doubt about his intentions?

When he slams the door like that, it can mean only one thing — trouble. American definition and synonyms of can from the online English dictionary from Macmillan Education.

This is the American English definition of can. View British English definition of can. Change your default dictionary to British English. View the pronunciation for can. Open Dictionary. Other entries for this word. I can tell you phrase. The vending machine has soda in cans. A can is also the amount of food or drink that a can holds :. I had a can of soup for lunch. They can all kinds of fruit. You can park on the street. Can is also used to request something:.

Can you help me lift this box? Can I have a tissue , please? Note: Can is usually used in standard spoken English when asking for permission. It is acceptable in most forms of written English, although in very formal writing, such as official instructions, may is often used instead: Persons under 14 unaccompanied by an adult may not enter.

You can get stamps at the post office. HR US informal to remove someone from their job :. After becoming partner in May of last year , she was canned five months later. Translations of can in Chinese Traditional. See more. Need a translator? Translator tool.

What is the pronunciation of can? Browse campus police BETA. Can I interest you in something idiom. Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes. Image credits. Word of the Day have a heart of gold.

Blog Outsets and onsets! Read More. November 08, To top. English American Business Translations. Sign up for free and get access to exclusive content:. Free word lists and quizzes from Cambridge. Tools to create your own word lists and quizzes. Word lists shared by our community of dictionary fans. Sign up now or Log in. Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English. Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Follow us.

Choose a dictionary. Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English. Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English.

Grammar Thesaurus. Word Lists. Have or has the moral or legal right. Know s. A container made of tinned iron or other metal, in which foods or other perishable products are sealed for preservation.

The amount that a can holds. To put up in airtight cans or jars for preservation. See CAN bus and cans. A transmission control character indicating that the associated data is in error or is to be ignored. Something that is easily accomplished, especially a routine catch of a fly ball in baseball. Completed and ready for release, as a film or scene of a film. Idioms and Phrasal Verbs can of corn. Origin of can.

Middle English first and third person sing. More at canny , cunning. Can Sentence Examples. I can take care of myself. Can you watch the house for me while I'm gone? I can do it. You can spend it with a free conscience. Yes, can you believe the luck? Related articles.

Cannot vs. Can Not vs.