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View synonyms for

revoke

[ ri-vohk ]

verb (used with object)

revoked, revoking.
  1. to take back or withdraw; annul, cancel, or reverse; rescind or repeal:

    to revoke a decree.

    Synonyms: , , ,

  2. to bring or summon back.


verb (used without object)

revoked, revoking.
  1. Cards. to fail to follow suit when possible and required; renege.

noun

  1. Cards. an act or instance of revoking.

revoke

/ ɪˈəʊ /

verb

  1. tr to take back or withdraw; cancel; rescind

    to revoke a law

  2. intr cards to break a rule of play by failing to follow suit when able to do so; renege
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. cards the act of revoking; a renege
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈǰ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • ·ǰİ noun
  • ·ǰiԲ· adverb
  • ܲr·ǰ adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of revoke1

1300–50; Middle English revoken < Latin 𱹴dz to call again, equivalent to re- re- + dz to call
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Word History and Origins

Origin of revoke1

C14: from Latin 𱹴dz to call back, withdraw, from re- + dz to call
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The agency is also looking to “revoke authorization of synthetic food colorings, including those not in production, within the coming weeks,” the outlet specified.

From

City officials also revoked the business license for Lear Asset Management for violating the city ordinance regarding private security companies.

From

With the Trump administration slashing budgets and threatening to revoke tax-exempt status for nonprofits, some Southern California social justice organizations have gone into a defensive crouch, hoping to wait out the passing storm.

From

The west Belfast rap group Kneecap have hit back at a call for their US visas to be revoked after their performance at Coachella where they ended their set with pro-Palestinian messages.

From

This month, the Trump administration revoked the legal status and work authorization of migrants who entered the U.S. using the Biden-era border appointment app.

From

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More About Revoke

doesrevoke mean?

Revoke means to take back, withdraw, or cancel.

Revoke is typically used in the context of officially taking back or cancelling some kind of right, status, or privilege that has already been given or approved. Passports and laws can be revoked, for example.

The process or an instance of revoking is called revocation.

A much more specific and less common sense of the word revoke is used in the context of card games, in which it means to break the rules by failing to follow suit when possible or required, such as in the game of bridge.

Example: The principal threatened to revoke our senior privileges if there are any pranks.

Where doesrevoke come from?

The first records of the word revoke come from the 1300s. It derives from the Latin verb 𱹴dz, which means “to call back” or “to withdraw” and is a combination of re-, meaning “back” or “again,” and dz, “to call.” մdz is also the root of words like invoke, evoke, and provoke.

A right or privilege has to have been granted or approved in the first place before it can be called back or revoked. The word is often used in a legal context to refer to certain rights or credentials being taken away, such as a driver’s license. A person can have their access or status revoked as a punishment for breaking the rules or for other reasons. The same thing goes when revoke is used in less official or less serious contexts. For example, a parent might revoke a kid’s screen time as punishment for something.

The word is sometimes used humorously to suggest that some hypothetical credentials should be taken away for some kind of violation, as in You’re going to get your uncle card revoked if you forget your niece’s birthday again.

Did you know ... ?

are some other forms of revoke?

  • revocation (noun)
  • revocable (adjective)
  • revoker (noun)
  • revokingly (adverb)
  • unrevoked (adjective)

are some synonyms for revoke?

are some words that share a root or word element with revoke?

are some words that often get used in discussing revoke?

How isrevoke used in real life?

Revoke is commonly used in serious and official contexts, but it can be used in less serious ways.

Try usingrevoke!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of revoke?

A. reverse
B. rescind
C. reward
D. repeal

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