as in to refuse
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Recent Examples of abstain
Health and mental health concerns and lack of interest in alcohol are some of the primary reasons reported for abstaining.
—
Jess Cording, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Fasting is abstaining from eating for a specific time period.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 13 May 2025
No lawmakers opposed or abstained, according to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
However, Merz received 310 votes, while 307 members voted against him and nine others abstained.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstain
Jess Cording, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Fasting is abstaining from eating for a specific time period.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 13 May 2025
No lawmakers opposed or abstained, according to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
However, Merz received 310 votes, while 307 members voted against him and nine others abstained.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstain
Verb
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Indian officials had previously refused to confirm even a single aircraft loss.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
31 May 2025
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Wyatt, the senior ace on his way to Michigan, and Walker, the gritty junior second baseman who refused to give up on his dream of starting, paused when trying to wrap their heads around the scene unfolding around them.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
31 May 2025
Verb
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Brentford have rejected an offer of around €9million (£7.6m; $10.2m) from Bayer Leverkusen for their first-choice goalkeeper Mark Flekken but negotiations are ongoing over a potential deal.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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Paramount is currently engaged in mediation talks with Trump’s attorneys, who recently rejected a $15 million settlement offer and threatened further litigation, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week.—
Dominick Mastrangelo,
The Hill,
30 May 2025
Verb
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The majority did not explain its reasoning in turning down the case over weapons like the AR-15, as is typical.—
Lindsay Whitehurst,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2025
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Sadly, this is leading to more and more creators turning down partnerships while brands offer them to other creators who may not be as well-informed about topics like perpetual usage rights.—
Kristen Bousquet,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
Verb
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Those that hesitate to modernize risk becoming less competitive in today’s fast-moving market.—
John Bruno,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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As Mars slips into your 12th house on June 17, your energy turns inward, so don’t hesitate to take a step back to rest, recharge and take a break from the social scene.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
1 June 2025
Verb
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Romney's Cass took Obama to task for opposing development of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and for temporizing on the Keystone pipeline, while Obama's Aldy accused Romney of being insensitive to the environment and to the needs and desires of future generations.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
9 Oct. 2012
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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 12 Jun. 2025.
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