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to make void; revoke; annul:
to cancel a reservation.
to decide or announce that a planned event will not take place; call off:
to cancel a meeting.
to mark or perforate (a postage stamp, admission ticket, etc.) so as to render invalid for reuse.
to neutralize; counterbalance; compensate for:
His sincere apology canceled his sarcastic remark.
Accounting.

to close (an account) by crediting or paying all outstanding charges:
He plans to cancel his account at the department store.
to eliminate or offset (a debit, credit, etc.) with an entry for an equal amount on the opposite side of a ledger, as when a payment is received on a debt.

Mathematics. to eliminate by striking out a factor common to both the denominator and numerator of a fraction, equivalent terms on opposite sides of an equation, etc.
to cross out (words, letters, etc.) by drawing a line over the item.
Printing. to omit.
to counterbalance or compensate for one another; become neutralized (often followed by out):
The pros and cons cancel out.
Mathematics. (of factors common to both the denominator and numerator of a fraction, certain terms on opposite sides of an equation, etc.) to be equivalent; to allow cancellation.
an act of canceling.
Printing, Bookbinding.

omission.
a replacement for an omitted part.

Contemporary Examples

9/11 Mastermind Is Afraid of the Ladies Tim Mak December 15, 2014
Did Julie Schenecker Kill Her Kids? Amy Green February 7, 2011
Memo to Congress: Buy More Jets Duff McDonald August 10, 2009
How Lisa Kudrow Pulled Off TV’s Ultimate ‘Comeback’ Kevin Fallon November 5, 2014
Inside the Boston Marathon Bombers Predawn Manhunt Brian Ries, Nina Strochlic, Michael Moynihan, Ben Teitelbaum April 18, 2013

Historical Examples

English Synonyms and Antonyms James Champlin Fernald
Kent Knowles: Quahaug Joseph C. Lincoln
America’s Munitions 1917-1918 Benedict Crowell
Jane Journeys On Ruth Comfort Mitchell
Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet Harold Leland Goodwin

verb (mainly transitive) -cels, -celling, -celled (US) -cels, -celing, -celed
to order (something already arranged, such as a meeting or event) to be postponed indefinitely; call off
to revoke or annul: the order for the new television set was cancelled
to delete (writing, numbers, etc); cross out: he cancelled his name and substituted hers
to mark (a cheque, postage stamp, ticket, etc) with an official stamp or by a perforation to prevent further use
(also intransitive) usually foll by out. to counterbalance; make up for (a deficiency, etc): his generosity cancelled out his past unkindness

to close (an account) by discharging any outstanding debts
(sometimes foll by out) (accounting) to eliminate (a debit or credit) by making an offsetting entry on the opposite side of the account

(maths)

to eliminate (numbers, quantities, or terms) as common factors from both the numerator and denominator of a fraction or as equal terms from opposite sides of an equation
(intransitive) to be able to be eliminated in this way

noun
a new leaf or section of a book replacing a defective one, one containing errors, or one that has been omitted
a less common word for cancellation
(music) a US word for natural (sense 20)
v.