as in to resign
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
the revolutionary government forced Nicholas II to abdicate the Russian throne
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Recent Examples of abdicate
Will Hamas abdicate any role in the future governance of Palestinians?
—
Brittney Melton, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
Trump’s plan calls for Hamas to lay down its arms, leave the Gaza Strip and abdicate any role in a future government in Gaza.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 3 Oct. 2025
Instead of standing as a safeguard, Congress has abdicated its responsibility and has been a rubber stamp for the president’s unconstitutional whims.
—Trena Turner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
When the federal government abdicates its responsibility for public health, states, localities, and communities of experts can still try to fill the void.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdicate
Brittney Melton, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
Trump’s plan calls for Hamas to lay down its arms, leave the Gaza Strip and abdicate any role in a future government in Gaza.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 3 Oct. 2025
Instead of standing as a safeguard, Congress has abdicated its responsibility and has been a rubber stamp for the president’s unconstitutional whims.
—Trena Turner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
When the federal government abdicates its responsibility for public health, states, localities, and communities of experts can still try to fill the void.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdicate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abdicate
Verb
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The International Energy Agency turned out to be less resigned to the things that exist and capped this class of emissions at 5 per cent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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Three other special elections were held to fill vacancies left by lawmakers resigning before their terms ended, with two of those advancing to runoffs as no candidate received more than 50 percent.—
Daniel Orton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Though Judge and Simon were legally granted equal custody of their three children upon their split, Judge relinquished custody of Sidney to Simon after their daughter opted to live with him full time.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
10 Nov. 2025
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According to the Associated Press, US Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell released Ortiz on a $500,000 bond, mandated that the 26-year-old relinquish his passport, and restricted his travel to the local area, among other stipulations.—
David Close,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But Mayor Mamdani’s election shows that New Yorkers—like Londoners—know that the answer is not to renounce the values which define us.—
Sadiq Khan,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
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What divides him from Burton is that Hopkins, by a miracle, summoned the clarity to renounce his own destruction.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abdicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abdicate. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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