1. Airtight sealed metal container for food, drink or paint etc.
   "He opened a can of soup for lunch";
   - tin, tin can
    
2. The quantity contained in a can
   "He used a can of soup for the recipe";
   - canful
    
3. [N. Amer, informal] A room or building equipped with one or more toilets
   "He excused himself to use the can";
   - toilet, lavatory, lav [informal], john [informal], bathroom, water closet [Brit, archaic], closet [archaic], W.C. [Brit], loo [Brit, informal], jacks [Ireland, informal], bog [Brit, informal]
    
4. [N. Amer, informal] A plumbing fixture for defecation and urination
   "The old house still had its original can in the bathroom";
   - toilet, commode [N. Amer], pot [informal], potty [informal], stool [archaic], throne [informal], loo [Brit, informal]
    
5. [N. Amer, informal] The fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
   "he deserves a good kick in the can";
   - buttocks, nates [informal, technical], butt [N. Amer, informal], backside [informal], bum [Brit, informal], buns [N. Amer, informal], fundament [informal], hindquarters [informal], hind end [informal], posterior [informal], rear [informal], rear end [informal], rump [informal], stern [informal], seat [informal], tail [N. Amer, informal], tail end [informal], tooshie [informal], tush [N. Amer, informal], bottom [informal], behind [informal], derriere [informal], patootie [US, informal], botty [informal], duff [N. Amer, informal], bahookie [UK, dialect, informal], booty [N. Amer, informal], heinie [US, informal], tushy [N. Amer, informal], derrière [informal]
    
6. A buoy with a round bottom and conical top
   "The can buoy marked the edge of the shipping channel";
   - can buoy

1. (cooking) preserve in a can or tin
   "canned foods are not very tasty";
   - tin
    
2. [N. Amer, informal] Terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position
   "The boss canned his secretary today";
   - displace, fire, give notice, dismiss, give the axe [informal], send away, sack, force out, give the sack [informal], terminate

1. Able to
   "fish can swim", "I can drive if you like", "Can I help you?"

Derived forms: cans, canned, canning

Type of: body part, buoy, container, containerful, keep, plumbing fixture, preserve, remove, room

Antonym: employ

Part of: bathroom, body, torso, trunk

Encyclopedia: Can, Emre