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canned

/kænd/
/kænd/
IPA guide

Anything canned is stored in a jar or can. It’s usually food, but prerecorded music is also canned. And, if you get fired from a job, you’ve been canned. Don’t cry, though, it’s better than being stuck in a jar.

When someone talks about "canned goods," they mean all the food you can buy that comes in a can, like canned green beans and canned pineapple. Home-preserved food is also canned, even if it's in a glass jar. This adjective takes on a derogatory slant when it describes music that's recorded rather than played live, or an answer that sounds prepared rather than real.

Definitions of canned
  1. adjective
    sealed in a can or jar
    synonyms: tinned
    preserved
    prevented from decaying or spoiling and prepared for future use
  2. adjective
    recorded for broadcast
    canned laughter”
    synonyms: transcribed
    recorded
    set down or registered in a permanent form especially on film or tape for reproduction
Pronunciation
US
/kænd/
UK
/kænd/
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