cancel plans

[ˈkænsəl plænz]
verb phrase
cancelar planos
1. to decide not to proceed with previously arranged activities or events
I had to cancel plans with my friends because I got sick.
Tive que cancelar os planos com meus amigos porque fiquei doente.
2. to annul or revoke a scheduled commitment or arrangement
We decided to cancel plans for the wedding due to the pandemic.
Decidimos cancelar os planos para o casamento devido à pandemia.
3. to withdraw from or back out of a previously made appointment
She called to cancel plans for dinner tonight.
Ela ligou para cancelar os planos do jantar de hoje à noite.
In both American and Brazilian culture, canceling plans is common but often requires social consideration. Brazilians tend to be more flexible with plan changes, sometimes canceling last-minute without extensive explanation, while Americans typically provide advance notice and detailed reasons. In NYC specifically, canceling plans is frequent due to busy schedules and is often communicated via text message or social media rather than formal phone calls.
NYC Slang
blow off plans; bail on plans
Synonyms / Sinônimos
call off plansback outrescind plansabort planspostpone plansditch plans
Antonyms / Antônimos
confirm planskeep plansproceed with plansgo through with plansmaintain plans

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
cancelar planos
Most common and standard usage throughout Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
desmarcar os planos
Alternative colloquial form meaning to unmark or undo scheduled plans
São Paulo
cancelar os planos
Standard usage, similar to general Brazilian Portuguese
Portugal
cancelar planos
Same as Brazilian Portuguese; also 'desmarcar' is used colloquially

Related Words

reschedulepostponedefercancelappointmentcommitmentarrangementcancellation

Related Idioms & Phrases

cancel at the last minute
cancel on someone
have to cancel
cancel due to circumstances
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →