canning

IPA/ˈkæn.ɪŋ/
KK[kˈænɪŋ]IPA/ˈkæn.ɪŋ/

canning — noun

1. the business or factory process of sealing food or drink in airtight cans so it

1.nounB2
Definition

the business or factory process of sealing food or drink in airtight cans so it can be sold and kept for a long time

Example

The coastal town grew rich through fish canning and ship repair.

fish canning — industrial uncountable noun

New safety rules slowed canning at the tomato plant last August.

canning at [factory/plant]

Common collocations
  • fish canning
  • commercial canning
  • the canning industry
  • a canning plant
Synonyms
  • food processing

    much broader; includes freezing, drying, and many methods besides cans

  • preservation

    broader term for keeping food from going bad, not specifically in cans

  • packing

    focuses on putting goods into containers, not on preservation alone

Grammar Patterns

fish canning

canning at a factory

the canning industry

Usage Note

This sense points to commercial or factory-scale work, not a single afternoon of preserving food at home. Distinguish it from sense 2, which is broader and often refers to home preservation methods.

2. the practice of putting food into sealed containers so that it stays safe to eat

2.nounB2
Definition

the practice of putting food into sealed containers so that it stays safe to eat for a long time

Example

Home canning lets Tanvi save peaches for the winter.

home canning — preservation at home

Careful canning keeps the beans safe for months.

careful canning for long storage

Common collocations
  • home canning
  • safe canning
  • canning season
  • canning jars
Synonyms
  • preserving

    broader and includes freezing, drying, and other methods

  • bottling

    often uses glass bottles or jars rather than metal cans

  • putting up

    more informal, especially in North American home-preserving contexts

Grammar Patterns

home canning

safe canning

canning for winter

Usage Note

This sense is often used for home food preservation, especially fruit, vegetables, jams, or sauces. Unlike sense 1, it does not have to refer to a factory or a product sold in shops.

Common Mistakes

We did many cannings last summer.
We did a lot of canning last summer.
this sense is usually treated as uncountable.

canning — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

'Canning' is one specific way of keeping food for later: you seal it in an airtight container and heat it so it stays safe. 'Preserving' is the broad umbrella term and can include canning, drying, salting, pickling, or freezing. 'Bottling' overlaps strongly with home canning, but it often points more clearly to glass bottles or jars and to drinks, sauces, or fruit in syrup. 'Freezing' also keeps food longer, but it depends on low temperature rather than a sealed shelf-stable container. So you can talk about 'home canning peaches', 'preserving summer fruit', 'bottling tomato sauce', or 'freezing extra soup' depending on the method.

canning ↗preserving ↗bottling ↗freezing ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • canning industry
  • canning plant
  • home canning
  • canning jars

Adverbs

Phrases

  • canning peaches for winter
  • safe canning methods
  • fish canning on a large scale

Prepositions

Etymology

English

Built from the food-preservation verb 'can', meaning to seal food or drink in an airtight container so it keeps longer. The '-ing' form came to be used both for the action itself and for the commercial or home practice of preserving food in this way.