rescind

rescind
verb
re·;scind ri-;sind
rescinded; rescinding; rescinds
Synonyms of rescind
transitive verb

1
: to take away : remove
2
a
: take back, cancel
refused to rescind the order
b
: to abrogate (a contract) and restore the parties to the positions they would have occupied had there been no contract
3
: to make void by action of the enacting authority or a superior authority : repeal
rescind an act
rescinder noun
rescindment
ri-;sin(d)-m;nt
 noun


Did you know?
Rescind and the lesser-known words exscind and prescind all come from the Latin verb scindere, which means “to split, cleave, separate.” Rescind was adapted from its Latin predecessor rescindere in the 16th century, and prescind (from praescindere) and exscind (from exscindere) followed in the next century. Exscind means “to cut off” or “to excise,” and prescind means “to withdraw one’s attention,” but of the three borrowings, only rescind established itself as a common English term. Today, rescind is most often heard in contexts having to do with the withdrawal of an offer, award, or privilege, or with invalidation of a law or policy.

Synonyms
cancel
revoke
abandon
scrap
repeal
abort
Examples of rescind in a Sentence
The enemies these efforts made for him concocted charges of disloyalty, and following a hearing before the Atomic Energy Commission in 1954, Oppenheimer's security clearance was rescinded.
—Kai Bird et al., Smithsonian, Aug. 2005
But Maria convinced Leverich that she had the authority to rescind the executor's decision to appoint him as biographer.
—John Lahr, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 1994
The Navy barred its personnel from his church, but he challenged the decree in federal court as a constitutional violation of freedom of religion. Eventually, the Navy rescinded its ban.
—Randall Samborn, National Law Journal, 14 Jan. 1991
The navy rescinded its ban on women sailors.
The company later rescinded its offer.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Critical grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts have been rescinded.
—Linda Johnson, New York Daily News, 27 June 2025
As for wildfires, Rollins said rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule will enable the federal government to better manage forests for fire risk and timber production.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025
Their comments came after the Trump administration earlier this month rescinded guidance telling health care workers who provide abortions to save patients’ lives that they are protected under federal law.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 24 June 2025
However, the Trump administration recently rescinded that protection, placing him, and more than 350,000 Venezuelans, at risk of deportation.
—Ver;nica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 17 June 2025

Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French rescinder "to reduce, cut, cancel, break (a contract)," borrowed from Latin rescindere "to remove or lay bare by hewing and cutting, cut or tear open, cancel, annul," from re- re- + scindere "to split, cleave, separate" — more at shed entry 1

First Known Use
1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rescind was in 1579
See more words from the same year