as in suspension
a state of temporary inactivity
our weekend plans were held in abeyance until we could get a weather forecast
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abeyance
Or $158 million for gun violence prevention programs and $800 million to prevent violent crime, money the administration has held in abeyance.
—
Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
On the trade front, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Busan for a summit which saw tariffs trimmed, soybeans purchases promised, and rare earth controls put in abeyance for a year, with some sketchy deal details — tricks up the sleeves of the two economic giants?
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
Carroll requested during Wednesday’s meeting that the board either reject the charges or hold them in abeyance until the litigation between The Trap and the city is resolved.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2025
That threat was only held in abeyance by his signature; the commission needed to ratify it to fully spike the governor’s guns.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abeyance
Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
On the trade front, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Busan for a summit which saw tariffs trimmed, soybeans purchases promised, and rare earth controls put in abeyance for a year, with some sketchy deal details — tricks up the sleeves of the two economic giants?
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
Carroll requested during Wednesday’s meeting that the board either reject the charges or hold them in abeyance until the litigation between The Trap and the city is resolved.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2025
That threat was only held in abeyance by his signature; the commission needed to ratify it to fully spike the governor’s guns.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abeyance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abeyance
Noun
-
Iran Air, the country's flagship carrier, reopened domestic routes after a 50-day suspension on Wednesday.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The baseline suspension for first-time domestic violence offenders?—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Harlin stages the shark attacks in an overt here-ya-go way, with the one consistent suspense issue being whether the shark will consume a victim whole or bite off his or her limb or simply leave them with a nasty gash (which happens quite often).—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The many leaps in time to the wedding—to which Ruben shows up on a motorcycle, angry enough to knock his brother out with a single punch—consistently ratchet up the sense of dread, and the suspense over why or how these two have stayed enmeshed.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abeyance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abeyance. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
