cant

/kænt/
verb
  1. To tilt or slope something to one side.
    • The sailor canted the mast to catch more wind.
    • She canted her head to get a better view of the painting.
    • They canted the table to slide the heavy box onto the dolly.
  2. To talk in a hypocritical or insincere way, especially about morals or religion.
    • Stop canting and tell us what you really think.
    • The preacher canted from the pulpit while ignoring his own flaws.
    • He cants about helping the poor but never donates a cent.
adjective
  1. Sloping or tilted; not level or straight.
    • The cant surface of the ramp made it easy to roll barrels down.
    • They built a cant wall to match the angle of the hill.
    • The cant floor of the old barn caused the hay bales to slide.
Antonyms
noun
  1. Hypocritical and insincere talk, especially about religion or morality.
    • She saw through his cant and knew he didn't really care.
    • The novel criticizes the cant of those who preach honesty but cheat.
    • The politician's speech was full of cant about family values.
  2. A special language used by a particular group, often to keep things secret; jargon.
    • Thieves used their own cant to communicate without being understood.
    • The doctor's cant was hard for the patient to follow.
    • Old books sometimes record the cant of traveling merchants.
  3. A slope or tilt, especially of a surface or object.
    • The architect designed a cant in the roof for better stability.
    • He adjusted the cant of the shelf so the books wouldn't fall.
    • The road has a slight cant to help rainwater drain off.
What does "cant" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean