as in to refuse
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Recent Examples of abstain
Artificial flavors, while unappealing to some, have fueled relatively little controversy lately, in part because they are so clearly labeled and thus easy to avoid for those looking to abstain.
—
Ali Bouzari, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Why people abstain from advance care planning One major barrier to advance care planning is that many people simply don’t know much about it.
—Anisah Bagasra, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2025
President Donald Trump has abstained from making security guarantees beyond an unsigned rare minerals agreement that would benefit the U.S. financially if private companies invest in Ukraine's natural resources.
—Reuters and Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
In March, for the first time, her party abstained on a European Parliament resolution in support of Kyiv.
—Nathalie Tocci, Foreign Affairs, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstain
Ali Bouzari, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Why people abstain from advance care planning One major barrier to advance care planning is that many people simply don’t know much about it.
—Anisah Bagasra, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2025
President Donald Trump has abstained from making security guarantees beyond an unsigned rare minerals agreement that would benefit the U.S. financially if private companies invest in Ukraine's natural resources.
—Reuters and Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
In March, for the first time, her party abstained on a European Parliament resolution in support of Kyiv.
—Nathalie Tocci, Foreign Affairs, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstain
Verb
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The suit alleges that ICE agents repeatedly refused to give VML's father her location and denied him the opportunity to speak for more than a minute to VML's mother.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
26 Apr. 2025
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Listen to this article Three people were arrested and accused of assaulting a taxi cab driver in Norwalk on Thursday after allegedly refusing to pay their cab fare, including one suspect whose alleged combative behavior injured a police officer.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Guo, the spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, rejected Trump’s assertions suggesting progress toward a trade deal.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2025
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Hours before the scheduled execution on Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a final appeal by Mendoza's attorneys to stop the execution.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Already, De Bruyne has been linked to both Inter Miami and the Chicago Fire, while Mueller has reportedly already turned down a free transfer offer from FC Cincinnati.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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Much of the press about the film’s money-making potential, meanwhile, seemed intent on turning down the volume, taking what should be one of the year’s biggest cinematic success stories and focusing on the potential for failure instead of its concrete achievement thus far.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Understanding why companies hesitate, and knowing how to work around it, gives you an edge.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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Tickets are going fast for this panel, so don’t hesitate to secure your spot.—
Lorraine Berry,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 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 3 May. 2025.
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