as in to refuse
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Recent Examples of abstain
At the program, which costs around $1,000 a day, clients must abstain from smartphones, gaming, social media, and other technologies—often for months, and undergo intensive therapy sessions.
—
Kristin Stoller, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
In choosing to abstain from noisy pedal effects and clanging cymbals, Landowner whip up far more entrancing patterns that thrive in the tidiness.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 24 Mar. 2026
The court passed an interim injunction against Gogoi and two other Congress leaders, prohibiting them from making defamatory statements against Sarma, and also asked a local newspaper to abstain from publishing defamatory material against the chief minister.
—Shabnam Dohutia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Mar. 2026
Participants must abstain from alcohol and drink 1 gallon of water each day.
—Lily Hautau, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for abstain
Kristin Stoller, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
In choosing to abstain from noisy pedal effects and clanging cymbals, Landowner whip up far more entrancing patterns that thrive in the tidiness.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 24 Mar. 2026
The court passed an interim injunction against Gogoi and two other Congress leaders, prohibiting them from making defamatory statements against Sarma, and also asked a local newspaper to abstain from publishing defamatory material against the chief minister.
—Shabnam Dohutia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Mar. 2026
Participants must abstain from alcohol and drink 1 gallon of water each day.
—Lily Hautau, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for abstain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstain
Verb
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Bali Police spokesperson Ari Sandy refused to comment on the investigation.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
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The Senate refused to act on those plans last year, one of the few defeats suffered by the MAGA right.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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A day earlier, Iran rejected a 15-point proposal offered by American negotiators.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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In response to the lawsuit, a government lawyer argued that forcing USCIS to lift the pause on Al Ghoula’s application and others like it could result in swift denials, warning that the applications would probably be rejected because security vetting is incomplete.—
Michal Ruprecht,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While some sites provide after-school for a fee, the cost of extended hours can be so high, and the schedule so impractical, that some parents are forced to turn down the city’s offer of free care.—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
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The doctor turned down that offer for proof in a hurry.—
Dr. C. E. Kuschel,
Outdoor Life,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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If a gatekeeper hesitates, breathe and restate your win.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Apr. 2026
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Peers hesitate to challenge them.—
Marlo Lyons,
Harvard Business Review,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Assad lied and temporized, the official said.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
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Accompanying these principles must be a rejection of the impulse to temporize about the dangers that confront us and a rejection of the bizarre deprecation of our nation and civilization.—
Peter J. Travers,
National Review,
29 Mar. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Abstain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstain. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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