canister

noun

can·​is·​ter ˈka-nə-stər 

variants or less commonly cannister

1

: an often cylindrical container for holding a usually specified object or substance

a film canister

2

: encased shot for close-range artillery fire

3

: a perforated metal box for gas masks with material to adsorb, filter, or detoxify airborne poisons and irritants

Synonyms

• barrel
• can
• drum
• tin

Examples of canister in a Sentence

she put the store-bought cookies in a fancy canister to make them look homemade

Recent Examples on the Web

Here and elsewhere, guests are handed metal bottles on arrival, to use and refill from glass carafes of water in their mini fridges or from large canisters in the common areas. —John Corrigan, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024

The canister was filled to the max with dust, pet hair, and (grossly) my own. —Ali Faccenda, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024

Empty the canister into a bucket of hot, soapy water to drown them, and dispose of them immediately in an outdoor garbage because the dead bugs can smell bad, says Brown. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2024

Oil canisters dangle from the ceiling; they are printed with maps of countries involved, as victim or perpetrator, in the oil-colonialism industrial complex, like Iran and Nigeria. —Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 11 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin canistrum basket, from Greek kanastron wicker basket, from kanna reed — more at cane

First Known Use

1692, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

canister

noun

can·​is·​ter

variants also cannister

ˈkan-ə-stər 

: a small box or can for holding a dry product (as coffee, flour, or sugar)