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# cant

noun (uncountable); verb (cant, cants, canted, canting — rare); also a common misspelling of "can't"

«cant» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Often a misspelling of "can't" (cannot) when the apostrophe is left out, as in texts and fast typing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cant/#m1)
2. (formal) Insincere talk about morals or religion; hypocritical words. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cant/#m2)
3. (old) Special words used by a group, such as thieves; jargon. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cant/#m3)
4. (verb or noun) A slope or tilt. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cant/#m4)

### In the lessons

Pupils mostly meet "cant" as "can't" written without the apostrophe in real speech texts: "i cant come". The real word "cant" is rare and formal. Phrases: can't (cannot).

### Examples

- (text) Sorry, I cant come to the party. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cant/#x1)
- (correct) I can't find my shoes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cant/#x2)
- The speech was full of empty cant. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cant/#x3)
- Thieves' cant was a secret language. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cant/#x4)
- The table has a slight cant to one side. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cant/#x5)
- (text) cant wait 4 the holidays! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cant/#x6)

### Note

In school writing always write "can't" with an apostrophe, or "cannot". Without the apostrophe it is a different, rare word. Pronunciation of can't: "kahnt" (UK, Australia) or "kant" (USA). In maths, "can't" is a negative: "can't share equally" means there is a remainder.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «cant» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cant/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«cant» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/cant.html) on Mova free.