resign

1 of 2

verb (1)

re·sign ri-ˈzīn

resigned; resigning; resigns

Synonyms of resign next

transitive verb

: relegate, consign

especially : to give (oneself) over without resistance

resigned herself to her fate

: to give up deliberately

especially : to renounce (something, such as a right or position) by a formal act

intransitive verb

: to give up one's office or position : quit

: to accept something as inevitable : submit

resignedness

ri-ˈzī-nəd-nəs

noun

resigner

ri-ˈzī-nər

noun

re-sign

2 of 2

verb (2)

(ˌ)rē-ˈsīn

re-signed; re-signing; re-signs

transitive verb

: to sign again

especially : to rehire (someone, such as an athlete) by means of a signed contract

intransitive verb

: to sign up again

Choose the Right Synonym for resign

relinquish, yield, resign, surrender, abandon, waive mean to give up completely.

relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness.

relinquished her crown

yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force.

the troops yielded ground grudgingly

resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle.

resigned her position

surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist.

surrendered their claims

abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up.

abandoned all hope

waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion.

waived the right to a trial by jury

abdicate, renounce, resign mean to give up a position with no possibility of resuming it.

abdicate implies a giving up of sovereign power or sometimes an evading of responsibility such as that of a parent.

abdicated the throne

renounce may replace it but often implies additionally a sacrifice for a greater end.

renounced her inheritance by marrying a commoner

resign applies to the giving up of an unexpired office or trust.

resigned from the board

Examples of resign in a Sentence

Verb (1) The senator was forced to resign his position. The newspaper's editor resigned after the scandal. He resigned from his job as principal of the school.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Babcock resigned as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday after just two months on the job, less than a week after his requests for personal photos from players in a bonding effort drew criticism as too invasive. —

Stephen Whyno, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023 At the time, Williams said he was advised to resign, or he would be fired. —

Sherry Greenfield, Baltimore Sun, 17 Sep. 2023 In 1865, Governor Evans was forced to resign in disgrace, according to the petition. —

Alaa Elassar, CNN, 16 Sep. 2023 Three out of the last four CEOs resigned under pressure. —

Laura Hurst, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2023 Stanford’s provost, Persis Drell, is also resigning this fall as the chief academic officer and chief budget officer. —

Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023 Evans resigned after Col. John Chivington led an 1864 U.S. cavalry massacre of more than 200 Arapaho and Cheyenne people — most of them women, children and the elderly — at Sand Creek in what is now southeastern Colorado. —

Thomas Peipert, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2023 House Speaker Newt Gingrich, an architect of conservatives' return to power in Congress earlier in the decade, quickly resigned. —

Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2023 Roiland also resigned from his video-game studio, Squanch Games. —

Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 13 Sep. 2023

Verb

If the Padres decide to re-sign Cy Young clubhouse leader Blake Snell — perhaps a longshot, but another scary financial consideration as a Scott Boras client in free agency — that money needs to come from somewhere. —

Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2023 But her desire to re-sign in Chicago will be tied to the expectations of her role — and her willingness to stick with the change if asked to remain a point guard. —

Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2023 The Lakers have had a sparkling offseason, adding Taurean Prince, Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, and Jaxson Hayes in addition to re-signing Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura . . . —

Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2023 After Wooten cleared waivers, the Panthers re-signed the former Auburn standout for their practice squad. —

Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 8 Sep. 2023 Pitbull, the Grammy award-winning artist and entrepreneur, has re-signed with WME across all areas worldwide, the company announced today. —

Thania Garcia, Variety, 6 Sep. 2023 Despite adding Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes and Cam Reddish and re-signing Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura, the Lakers still needed to a player who could step in and play with Davis or, more importantly, fill in if he gets injured. —

Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023 Briefly The Lions finalized their practice squad Friday, re-signing tight end Darrell Daniels. —

Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, 1 Sep. 2023 Noting the team fortified its line by trading for Pittsburgh guard Kevin Dotson, McVay said the Rams are hoping to re-sign Bruss to the practice squad, if the player clears waivers by Wednesday afternoon. —

Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'resign.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French resigner, from Latin resignare, literally, to unseal, cancel, from re- + signare to sign, seal — more at sign

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Verb (2)

1805, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler

The first known use of resign was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century