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
Grand Duke Henri is set to abdicate in October this year, to hand over the throne to his son, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, after nearly 25 years as monarch.
—
William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
However, Congress has abdicated much of this responsibility over time, either through legislation or neglect; both parties and all branches are guilty.
—Andrew Tisch, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Rarely have politicians who call themselves leaders abdicated their responsibility more profoundly.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2025
Daniel Gordon’s film focused on the 100-meter final at the Seoul Olympics, a race that was dominated by Ben Johnson, who then abdicated the crown after a positive steroid test, leaving Carl Lewis as the desultory victor.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdicate
William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
However, Congress has abdicated much of this responsibility over time, either through legislation or neglect; both parties and all branches are guilty.
—Andrew Tisch, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Rarely have politicians who call themselves leaders abdicated their responsibility more profoundly.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2025
Daniel Gordon’s film focused on the 100-meter final at the Seoul Olympics, a race that was dominated by Ben Johnson, who then abdicated the crown after a positive steroid test, leaving Carl Lewis as the desultory victor.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdicate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abdicate
Verb
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Keesee resigned from his position at the church in August.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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Sassoon, who replaced U.S. Attorney Damien Williams in the Southern District of New York, declined to drop the case against Adams and resigned.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Fittingly posted on a Wednesday (April 23), the two-minute preview opens with Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday making her way back to Nevermore Academy, a journey that involves the teenager reluctantly relinquishing her many weapons to TSA agents at an airport.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
23 Apr. 2025
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But the Trump administration is now relinquishing its influence over the multilateral system, preferring instead to handle countries one by one, transaction by transaction.—
Ngaire Woods,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In this telling, the blood of Christian martyrs facing lions rather than renouncing their faith eventually transformed the Roman empire.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2025
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Eventually, in 2019, the Business Round Table realized that business based totally on the self-interest of short-term profits was untenable and officially renounced it.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abdicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abdicate. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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