Canute

American

[kuh-noot, -nyoot] / kəˈnut, -ˈnyut /

Also Cnut,

noun

a.d. 994?–1035, Danish king of England 1017–35; of Denmark 1018–35; and of Norway 1028–35.

Canute British

/ kəˈnjuːt /

noun

died 1035, Danish king of England (1016–35), Denmark (1018–35), and Norway (1028–35). He defeated Edmund II of England (1016), but divided the kingdom with him until Edmund's death. An able ruler, he invaded Scotland (1027) and drove Olaf II from Norway (1028)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But it may be a King Canute effort of fighting the tide of rising longer-term yields worldwide.

From Barron's • Dec. 12, 2025

Canute knew that reality was bigger than he or any idea he had.

From Washington Times • Dec. 26, 2023

It was seen coming around the bend in Canute Road, Southampton, on Saturday morning before arriving - and parallel parking - at the aviation museum.

From BBC • Nov. 25, 2023

“Not even if I could. I might as well be King Canute, forbidding the tide to come in.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 5, 2023

After the encounter at Sherstone, Thurkil seems to have joined Canute before London; but his whole force did not return with him.

From Canute the Great The Rise of Danish Imperialism during the Viking Age by Larson, Laurence Marcellus

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023