abstain

verb

ab·​stain əb-ˈstān 

ab-

abstained; abstaining; abstains

intransitive verb

1

: to choose not to do or have something : to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self-denial from an action or practice

abstain from drinking

2

: to choose not to vote

Ten members voted for the proposal, six members voted against it, and two abstained.

abstainer noun

Did you know?

If you abstain, you're consciously, and usually with effort, choosing to hold back from doing something that you would like to do. Lucky for you, we’d never abstain from sharing a good bit of word history. Abstain traces back through Middle English and Anglo-French to the Latin verb abstinēre, which combines the prefix ab- ("from, away, off") with tenēre, a Latin verb meaning "to hold." (Spanish speakers might recognize tenēre’s influence in the Spanish verb tener, meaning "to have, hold, or take.") Tenēre has many offspring in English; other descendants include contain, detain, maintain, obtain, pertain, retain, and sustain, as well as some words that don’t end in -tain, such as tenant and tenacious. Abstain, like many of its cousins, has been used by English speakers since at least the 14th century.

Synonyms

• abjure
• forbear
• forgo
• forego
• keep (from)
• refrain (from)
• withhold (from)

Examples of abstain in a Sentence

Ten members voted for the proposal, six members voted against it, and two abstained.

Recent Examples on the Web

While others were filling their boots, Elba abstained. —WIRED, 27 Sep. 2023

One council member, attorney Bruce Silverstein, abstained. —Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2023

More observant members go beyond fasting and will also abstain from bathing, wearing leather shoes, indulging in perfumes or lotions, and marital relations. —Sofia Barrett, CNN, 24 Sep. 2023

Three Republicans voted to nominate her and three Democrats abstained in the hopes of preventing a nomination from proceeding to the Senate for confirmation. —Harm Venhuizen, Chicago Tribune, 14 Sep. 2023

Putin has also abstained from using chemical weapons. —Austin Carson, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2023

The tax rate was approved by four commissioners, with Lewis Jenkins abstaining. —Josephine Peterson, Dallas News, 13 Sep. 2023

The trustees voted to keep the books, though the county supervisor on the board — county chairwoman Vicky Cook — abstained. —Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023

India’s ‘carpe diem moment’ India has, since the start of Putin’s devastating war against Ukraine, repeatedly abstained from votes condemning the Kremlin. —Rhea Mogul, CNN, 8 Sep. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Middle English absteinen, abstenen, borrowed from Anglo-French asteign-, absteign-, stem of astenir, abstenir, borrowed (with conjugation change, conformed to tenir) from Latin abstinēre "to keep from, hold back, refrain, withhold oneself from," from abs- (variant of ab- ab- before c- and t-) + tenēre "to hold, occupy, possess" — more at tenant entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

abstain

verb

ab·​stain əb-ˈstān 

: to keep oneself from doing something

abstain from voting

abstainer noun

Medical Definition

abstain

intransitive verb

ab·​stain əb-ˈstān, ab- 

: to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self-denial from an action or practice (as consumption of a food or a drug or indulgence in sexual intercourse)

abstainer noun

Legal Definition

abstain

intransitive verb

ab·​stain əb-ˈstān, ab- 

: to refrain from exercising federal jurisdiction over a case : cause an abstention

federal courts should normally abstain from intervening in pending court-martial proceedings

—Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, 548 U.S. 557 (2006)