as in to resign
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
the revolutionary government forced Nicholas II to abdicate the Russian throne
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Recent Examples of abdicate
Speaker Johnson has completely abdicated that responsibility.
—
Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 11 June 2025
Queen Margrethe abdicated in January 2024, making her elder son and successor the new King Frederik.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 10 June 2025
In the wake of this violence, California’s feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 8 June 2025
That use of focus group testing earned criticism that studio execs were abdicating their creative responsibilities when making and releasing movies, but Freeman maintained hard data was crucial to reassuring the major studios and reaching cinema audiences.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdicate
Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 11 June 2025
Queen Margrethe abdicated in January 2024, making her elder son and successor the new King Frederik.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 10 June 2025
In the wake of this violence, California’s feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 8 June 2025
That use of focus group testing earned criticism that studio execs were abdicating their creative responsibilities when making and releasing movies, but Freeman maintained hard data was crucial to reassuring the major studios and reaching cinema audiences.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdicate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abdicate
Verb
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Eric Garrett, who oversaw Ross’ department as CHA’s chief operating officer, resigned Jan. 3 and received around $87,200 per his separation agreement and Tribune calculations.—
Lizzie Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
30 June 2025
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Editor David Shipley and others resigned, and another wave of subscription cancellations followed.—
Andy Meek,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
Verb
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While Israel wants to eradicate Hamas following the Oct. 7 attacks, the group has shown little willingness to relinquish its political and military power in Gaza.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
5 July 2025
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Lesson 4: Less data, better decisions Without her phone, my wife had to relinquish her customary role as the navigator.—
JJ Rosen,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Verb
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Who’s on Tennessee death row While the Department of Justice has renounced pentobarbital, Tennessee and about a dozen other states are pushing forward with the drug.—
Kelly Puente,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
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On Wednesday, Lamont praised Mamdani while noting that Democrats have hardly renounced centrists.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abdicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abdicate. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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