canned

Everyday

1. Kept in a sealed metal can or tin, like canned beans. tree →
2. (of laughter, music) Recorded earlier and played again, not live, like canned laughter on TV. tree →
3. (US, informal) Fired from a job. tree →
4. (informal) Stopped or cancelled, like a canned TV show. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life and cooking it means tinned food. In media lessons, canned laughter is recorded laughter added to comedy shows. Phrases: "canned food", "canned laughter", "got canned" (lost a job).

Examples

• We collected canned food for the food bank. tree →
• Canned peaches last a long time. tree →
• That show has canned laughter. tree →
• The factory canned tomatoes all summer. tree →
• He got canned from his job at the cinema. tree →
• The TV series was canned after one season. tree →

Note

In British English people often say "tinned" food. The verb "can" (to put in cans) doubles the n: canned, canning. This is different from the helping verb "can" (be able), which has no past "canned". Throw away cans that bulge or leak: the food may be unsafe.