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

Meanwhile support for abolishing the Monarchy rose from three percent in 1983 to 15 percent in 2024, according to the data. —Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025

Bail reform in Washington Washington abolished cash bail in the early 1990s. —Christine Scott-Hayward, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025

Merz, for his part, would like to abolish this daily working limit while still maintaining the 40-hour workweek, allowing working days to become more flexible. —Alex Ledsom, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025

The Chinese leader, who assumed the presidency in 2013, abolished term limits in 2018. —Evelyn Cheng,anniek Bao, CNBC, 3 Sep. 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