unable to can

phrase

Rendered utterly speechless or overwhelmed with a situation.

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Meanings

phrase
  1. humorousslangRendered utterly speechless or overwhelmed with a situation.

    I literally cannot with William. I will continue to be unable to can with this fool.

    2016 April 25, Phoebe Robinson, “The Catch Recap: A Bug's Life”, in Vulture, archived from the original on 21 Jun 2023
    1 more example

    She said: 'This is the peak of the whatsapp mother's cult. I am unable to can lmao.'

    2020 March 25, Harriet Johnston, “Woman reveals her mother has placed a raw ONION in the corner of every room in the house in a bizarre attempt to ward off coronavirus”, in Daily Mail, London: DMG Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 Oct 2022

Origin

From can't even (“to be unable to express one's feelings about an overwhelming situation”), with the implication that one has lost the capacity of English due to shock.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

unable to can. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unable%20to%20can

MLA

“unable to can.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unable%20to%20can. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unable to can,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unable%20to%20can.

Source: unable to can on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.