abolish

verb

abol·​ish ə-ˈbä-lish 

abolished; abolishing; abolishes

transitive verb

: to end the observance or effect of (something, such as a law) : to completely do away with (something) : annul

abolish a law

abolish slavery

abolishable

ə-ˈbä-li-shə-bəl 

adjective

abolisher noun

abolishment

ə-ˈbä-lish-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• repeal
• cancel
• overturn

Examples of abolish in a Sentence

He is in favor of abolishing the death penalty.

the U.S. abolished slavery by constitutional amendment on December 6, 1865

Recent Examples on the Web

Rogers noted that the book argues that a central cause of the war was Anglo settlers’ determination to keep slaves in bondage after Mexico largely abolished it. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025

In 1853, Farwell signed a law that abolished the death penalty in Wisconsin and replaced it with a penalty of life imprisonment, making Wisconsin the first sate to permanently abolish capital punishment for all crimes. —Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025

Americans rebelled against a king, then applied that same thinking to abolish slavery, then dismantle segregation. —David Weigel, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2025

Britain will never abolish the Monarchy unless the sitting Prime Minister wants to and has the support of a majority in Parliament to do so. —Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English abolysshen, borrowed from Middle French aboliss-, stem of abolir "to abolish," borrowed from Latin abolēre "to destroy, efface, put an end to," perhaps formed from abolēscere "to shrivel up, be effaced, fall into disuse," from ab- ab- + -ol-, medial form of the base of alere "to nourish, bring up" + -ēsc-, inchoative suffix — more at old entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for abolish

• demolish
• gaulish
• polish
• smallish

Kids Definition

abolish

verb

abol·​ish ə-ˈbäl-ish 

: to do away with completely : put an end to

abolishable

-ə-bəl 

adjective

abolisher noun

abolishment

-mənt 

noun

Legal Definition

abolish

transitive verb

abol·​ish

: to end the observance or effect of : annul