revoke
gb/ɹɪvˈoʊk/ us/ɹɪvˈoʊk/
C1
English
~ 8900
Senses
0 senses
Verb
formal
C1
action
1
officially cancel a decision or right
to say in an official way that a law, rule, agreement, or permission is no longer valid
Usage pattern:
to revoke [something official]
Common mistake:
Learners often use "revoke" for everyday situations where "cancel" is more natural, such as canceling a party or a movie ticket. "Revoke" is usually used for official things like licenses, visas, permissions, or laws. Another mistake is leaving out the object, as in *"The company revoked"*; you must say what was revoked, e.g. *"The company revoked my contract."*
Synonyms
cancel (More general and less formal; used for everyday things like plans or bookings, not only legal or official actions.)
Antonyms
grant (Means to give or allow something officially, which is the opposite of officially taking it away.)
Collocations
revoke a license
|revoke a visa
|revoke permission
|revoke access
|revoke a decision
|revoke an order
Themes
law
|politics
|business
|technology
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The government revoked his passport after the fraud investigation.
- The university revoked her scholarship when she failed to meet the academic requirements.
- The company may revoke your access to the system at any time without notice.
- Parliament voted to revoke the controversial law after weeks of protests.
- The judge revoked his bail because he violated the conditions of his release.
Learner examples
- The school can revoke your ID card if you break the rules.
- The bank revoked his credit card after many late payments.
- They revoked his visa, so he had to leave the country.
- The manager revoked my permission to work from home.
- The court revoked his driving license after the accident.
Verb
technical
C2
action
2
fail to follow suit in cards
in card games, to break the rule by not playing the same kind of card (suit) when you are supposed to
Usage pattern:
to revoke [in a card game]
Common mistake:
Learners who meet this sense usually confuse it with the general meaning of "revoke" (to cancel something official). In card games, "revoke" is about breaking a specific rule (not following suit), not about canceling a decision.
Synonyms
renege (Technical card‑game term used especially in bridge; more common than "revoke" in some card‑playing communities.)
Antonyms
follow suit (Means to correctly play a card of the suit that was led, which is the opposite of revoking.)
Collocations
accidentally revoke
|revoke in bridge
|player revoked
|penalty for revoking
Themes
games
|recreation
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He realized he had revoked only after the next trick was played.
- If you revoke in tournament bridge, the director may impose a heavy penalty.
- She claimed that her opponent had revoked and called the director to the table.
Learner examples
- In bridge, you must not revoke.
- The player revoked, so the team lost points.
- He was new to the game and often revoked by mistake.
- If you revoke, the other team can ask for a penalty.
- They checked the cards again to see who had revoked.
Noun
technical
C2
event
3
rule violation in card games
in card games, a mistake where a player does not play the same suit when they should
Usage pattern:
a revoke [occurs/happens/is called]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think "revoke" as a noun is common in everyday English for the act of canceling something. In modern English, that general noun is "revocation"; the noun "revoke" is now mainly limited to card‑game jargon.
Synonyms
renege (Used as a noun in card‑game jargon with basically the same meaning; choice depends on regional or game-specific preference.)
Antonyms
legal play (A move that follows the rules of the game, which contrasts with a revoke, a rule-breaking move.)
Collocations
commit a revoke
|claim a revoke
|penalty for a revoke
|an unnoticed revoke
Themes
games
|recreation
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The defenders were awarded extra tricks because of South's revoke.
- After reviewing the hand, the director ruled that no revoke had occurred.
- A revoke in tournament play can completely change the result of a match.
Learner examples
- The team lost points because of a revoke.
- They called the director to check if there was a revoke.
- A revoke is serious in this card game.
- He said the revoke was an honest mistake.
- There was a revoke, so the score changed.
Grammar
Dictionary form
revoke
IPA
GB/ɹɪvˈoʊk/
US/ɹɪvˈoʊk/
Syllables & stress
re - voke (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (voke)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: revoke
- 3rd Person Singular: revokes
- Present Participle: revoking
- Past: revoked
Word family
Forms
revokes
verb
revoking
verb
revoked
verb
Core family
revocation
noun
Related words
revocable
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
irrevocable
adjective C1
Advanced or less common
irrevocably
adverb C1
Expressions
revoke a decision
1/ɹɪvˈoʊk ə dɪsˈɪʒən/
fixed phrase
formal
take back an official decision
to officially say that an earlier decision is no longer in effect
Examples
- The board chose to revoke the decision after hearing new evidence.
- The minister later revoked his decision to close the hospital.
revoke a license
1/ɹɪvˈoʊk ə lˈaɪsəns/
fixed phrase
formal
officially cancel a license
to officially say that a person cannot use their license anymore
Examples
- The authorities can revoke a license if a company breaks safety rules.
- The court decided to revoke his license after the third drunk-driving offense.
revoke a visa
1/ɹɪvˈoʊk ə vˈizə/
fixed phrase
formal
officially cancel a visa
to officially say that a person can no longer use their visa to enter or stay in a country
Examples
- The government may revoke a visa if the traveler lies on the application.
- Her visa was revoked after the new immigration rules came into effect.
revoke access
1/ɹɪvˈoʊk ˈæksˌɛs/
fixed phrase
formal
remove someone's access rights
to stop someone from using a system, website, or place, usually in an official or technical way
Examples
- The administrator can revoke access for any user who violates the policy.
- When employees leave the company, IT must immediately revoke their access.
revoke consent
1/ɹɪvˈoʊk kənsˈɛnt/
fixed phrase
formal
formally withdraw consent
to clearly say that you no longer agree to something you agreed to before
Examples
- Under this policy, you may revoke consent at any time without penalty.
- Participants can revoke consent if they wish to leave the study.
revoke permission
1/ɹɪvˈoʊk pɚmˈɪʃən/
fixed phrase
formal
take away previously given permission
to officially say that someone no longer has permission to do something
Examples
- The landlord can revoke permission to keep pets if there are complaints.
- They revoked permission to use the logo in future advertising.