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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Eric Garrett, who oversaw Ross’ department as CHA’s chief operating officer, resigned Jan. 3 and received around $87,200 per his separation agreement and Tribune calculations.—
Lizzie Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
30 June 2025
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Editor David Shipley and others resigned, and another wave of subscription cancellations followed.—
Andy Meek,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
Verb
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Do it, talk to each other, ask questions, reach out to members, and remember that no one has ever relinquished power willingly, even for things as small as better hours, or more holiday time.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
24 June 2025
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Jean-Baptiste Voisin, chief strategy officer at LVMH, relinquished his responsibilities as head of LVMH Métiers d’Art and will now take on leadership of LVMH Media Research and Brand Image teams, previously helmed by Mathilde Delhoume, who is also taking on new responsibilities.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
23 June 2025
Verb
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The justices who renounced that lie in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center exposed themselves to scurrilous criticisms and even threats to their safety.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 June 2025
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Syria's new government, led by a former affiliate of ISIS and Al-Qaeda who has renounced jihadi ties in recent years, has vowed to continue efforts to battle ISIS.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abdicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abdicate. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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