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
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
The federal government has functionally abdicated its role in keeping Americans safe from dangerous illness.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdicate
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
The federal government has functionally abdicated its role in keeping Americans safe from dangerous illness.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 5 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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Yet, despite this military setback, the militia in Lebanon shows no intention of relinquishing its weapons.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
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Georgia Tech led 17-14 before the Wolfpack’s Cody Hardy scored his second touchdown of the first half, and NC State (5-4, 2-3) never relinquished the lead from there.—
Manny Navarro,
New York Times,
2 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 7 Nov. 2025.
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