can.
To know how to.
Meaning & usage
To know how to.
She can speak English, French, and German.
I can play football.
To be able to.
Can you remember your fifth birthday?
Animals can experience emotions.
May; to be permitted or enabled to.
You can go outside and play when you're finished with your homework.
Can I use your pen?
To have the potential to; to be possible for (someone or something) to.
Can it be Friday already?
Teenagers can really try their parents' patience.
Used to form requests, typically polite.
Can you please come over here?
Can we try that scene again?
To know.
To be (followed by a word like able, possible, allowed). third-person singular simple present indicative of can
To be able to or know how to (do something); an accompanying verb is not required if it is already inferable from context.
Can anot?
To be fine or acceptable; to be possible; (with liao or already) to be enough. Often used in conjunction with a variety of clause-final particles, e.g., lah, meh or one, to express different attitudes towards the subject matter.
Can liao, don’t need to use so much glue.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥néh₃ti Proto-Germanic *kunnaną Proto-West Germanic *kunnan Old English cunnan Middle English can English can From Middle English can, first and third person singular of connen, cunnen (“to be able, know how”), from Old English can(n), first and third person singular of cunnan (“to know how”), from Proto-West Germanic *kunnan, from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (whence also know). Doublet of con. See also: canny, cunning.
OK, sure; indicates approval or acknowledgment.
Used to convey reassurance.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥néh₃ti Proto-Germanic *kunnaną Proto-West Germanic *kunnan Old English cunnan Middle English can English can From Middle English can, first and third person singular of connen, cunnen (“to be able, know how”), from Old English can(n), first and third person singular of cunnan (“to know how”), from Proto-West Germanic *kunnan, from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (whence also know). Doublet of con. See also: canny, cunning.
OK(?); used at the end of a question when seeking approval or acknowledgment.
I cut this wire, can?
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥néh₃ti Proto-Germanic *kunnaną Proto-West Germanic *kunnan Old English cunnan Middle English can English can From Middle English can, first and third person singular of connen, cunnen (“to be able, know how”), from Old English can(n), first and third person singular of cunnan (“to know how”), from Proto-West Germanic *kunnan, from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (whence also know). Doublet of con. See also: canny, cunning.
A container or vessel, especially for liquids, usually made of metal.
I keep a can of fuel for emergencies.
A container or vessel, especially for liquids, usually made of metal. A sealed metal container, cylindrical or cuboid in form, typically used to store preserved foods.
Soup in a can lasts for years.
A container used to carry and dispense water for plants (a watering can).
A chamber pot.
A chamber pot. a toilet or lavatory.
Shit or get off the can.
Bob's in the can. You can wait a few minutes or just leave it with me.
Buttocks.
The breasts of a woman.
Jail or prison.
Bob’s in the can. He won’t be back for a few years.
Headphones.
A drinking cup.
A cylindrical buoy or marker used to denote a port-side lateral mark
A chimney pot.
An E-meter used in Scientology auditing.
An ounce (or sometimes, two ounces) of marijuana.
A protective cover for the fuel element in a nuclear reactor.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English canne, from Old English canne (“glass, container, cup, jar”), from Proto-Germanic *kannǭ (“can, tankard, mug, cup”).
To seal in a can.
They canned air to sell as a novelty to tourists.
To preserve by heating and sealing in a jar or can.
They spent August canning fruit and vegetables.
To discard, scrap or terminate (an idea, project, etc.).
He canned the whole project because he thought it would fail.
To shut up.
Can your gob.
To fire or dismiss an employee.
The boss canned him for speaking out.
To hole the ball.
To cover (the fuel element in a nuclear reactor) with a protective cover.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English canne, from Old English canne (“glass, container, cup, jar”), from Proto-Germanic *kannǭ (“can, tankard, mug, cup”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.