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
Speaker Johnson has completely abdicated that responsibility.
—
Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 11 June 2025
Queen Margrethe abdicated in January 2024, making her elder son and successor the new King Frederik.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 10 June 2025
In the wake of this violence, California’s feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 8 June 2025
That use of focus group testing earned criticism that studio execs were abdicating their creative responsibilities when making and releasing movies, but Freeman maintained hard data was crucial to reassuring the major studios and reaching cinema audiences.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdicate
Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 11 June 2025
Queen Margrethe abdicated in January 2024, making her elder son and successor the new King Frederik.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 10 June 2025
In the wake of this violence, California’s feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 8 June 2025
That use of focus group testing earned criticism that studio execs were abdicating their creative responsibilities when making and releasing movies, but Freeman maintained hard data was crucial to reassuring the major studios and reaching cinema audiences.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdicate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abdicate
Verb
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DeJoy resigned in March after President Donald Trump took office again and voiced his consideration to privatize USPS, meaning that mail service would no longer be public but rather owned and run by private companies.—
Mackenzie Thomas,
The Washington Examiner,
14 July 2025
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Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on July 23, 2024.—
Audrey Conklin,
FOXNews.com,
12 July 2025
Verb
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While Israel wants to eradicate Hamas following the Oct. 7 attacks, the group has shown little willingness to relinquish its political and military power in Gaza.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
5 July 2025
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The judge in Jackson's case has ordered Burgin to relinquish any firearms in his possession, including firearm parts and ammunition, within 24 hours of receiving the restraining order.—
Kaycee Sloan,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Verb
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Who’s on Tennessee death row While the Department of Justice has renounced pentobarbital, Tennessee and about a dozen other states are pushing forward with the drug.—
Kelly Puente,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
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On Wednesday, Lamont praised Mamdani while noting that Democrats have hardly renounced centrists.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abdicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abdicate. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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