can

A can is a metal container, usually cylindrical in shape, which has an airtight seal when it's new. All kinds of goods come in cans, from fruit and vegetables to paint and oil.

The verb can means to preserve food in a can or glass jar. If your garden produces more tomatoes than you can possibly eat, you might make salsa and can it to eat all winter long. Can is also a slang word with several meanings. It means rear end, toilet, and it also means to fire someone: "Watch out, the boss canned three people yesterday! You could be next."

Primary Meanings of can

1.
 nv
airtight sealed metal container for food or drink or paint etc.
preserve in a can or tin
2.
 v
terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position
3.
 n
a buoy with a round bottom and conical top
4.
 n
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
5.
 n
a plumbing fixture for defecation and urination
Full Definitions of can
1

n airtight sealed metal container for food or drink or paint etc.

Synonyms:
tin, tin can
Types:
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beer can
a can that holds beer
caddy, tea caddy
a can for storing tea
cannikin
a small can
coffee can
a can for storing ground coffee
milk can
large can for transporting milk
oilcan
a can with a long nozzle to apply oil to machinery
soda can
a can for holding soft drinks
Type of:
container
any object that can be used to hold things (especially a large metal boxlike object of standardized dimensions that can be loaded from one form of transport to another)

n the quantity contained in a can

Synonyms:
canful
Type of:
containerful
the quantity that a container will hold

v preserve in a can or tin

Synonyms:
put up, tin
Type of:
keep, preserve
prevent (food) from rotting
2

v terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position

Synonyms:
dismiss, displace, fire, force out, give notice, give the axe, give the sack, sack, send away, terminate
Antonyms:
employ, engage, hire
engage or hire for work
Types:
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retire
make (someone) retire
pension off
let go from employment with an attractive pension
clean out
force out
furlough, lay off
dismiss, usually for economic reasons
squeeze out
force out
dismiss, drop, send away, send packing
stop associating with
superannuate
retire and pension (someone) because of age or physical inability
downsize
dismiss from work
Type of:
remove
remove from a position or an office
3

n a buoy with a round bottom and conical top

Synonyms:
can buoy
Type of:
buoy
bright-colored; a float attached by rope to the seabed to mark channels in a harbor or underwater hazards
4

n the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on

Synonyms:
ass, backside, behind, bottom, bum, buns, butt, buttocks, derriere, fanny, fundament, hind end, hindquarters, keister, nates, posterior, prat, rear, rear end, rump, seat, stern, tail, tail end, tooshie, tush
Type of:
body part
any part of an organism such as an organ or extremity
5

n a plumbing fixture for defecation and urination

Synonyms:
commode, pot, potty, stool, throne, toilet
Types:
flushless toilet
a toilet that relies on bacteria to break down waste matter (instead of using water)
flush toilet, lavatory
a toilet that is cleaned of waste by the flow of water through it
potty chair, potty seat
toilet consisting of a small seat used by young children
Type of:
plumbing fixture
a fixture for the distribution and use of water in a building

n a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

Synonyms:
bathroom, john, lav, lavatory, privy, toilet
Types:
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head
(nautical) a toilet on board a boat or ship
comfort station, convenience, public convenience, public lavatory, public toilet, restroom, toilet facility, wash room
a toilet that is available to the public
washroom
a lavatory (particularly a lavatory in a public place)
W.C., closet, loo, water closet
a toilet in Britain
ladies' room, powder room
a woman's restroom in a public (or semipublic) building
latrine
a public toilet in a military area
men's, men's room
a public toilet for men
Type of:
room
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

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