as in to refuse
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Recent Examples of abstain
The 31-day challenge to abstain from alcohol began in 2014 by Macmillan Cancer Support in the United Kingdom to raise money for people with cancer.
—
Adrianna Rodriguez, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Best known for his role in Diff’rent Strokes, the actor shared what led to him choosing to abstain from using substances.
—Essence, 8 Oct. 2025
That doesn’t mean Dumars and Weaver will abstain from activity before the trade deadline.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
As Worthington previously told Entertainment Weekly, Neteyam's death serves to activate a fighter's spirit in Jake, who's been trying to abstain from battle.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstain
Adrianna Rodriguez, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Best known for his role in Diff’rent Strokes, the actor shared what led to him choosing to abstain from using substances.
—Essence, 8 Oct. 2025
That doesn’t mean Dumars and Weaver will abstain from activity before the trade deadline.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
As Worthington previously told Entertainment Weekly, Neteyam's death serves to activate a fighter's spirit in Jake, who's been trying to abstain from battle.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstain
Verb
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According to the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched in November to a residence in the Linville community of Marion after a caller reported a neighbor standing in their driveway screaming and refusing to leave the property despite having been warned previously.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Some exemptions for law enforcement agencies exist, but Cal-OSHA claims the sheriff’s office refused to prove its exemption, according to court documents.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Bonta rejected the allegations as unsubstantiated and said the states were targeted solely because of their political leadership.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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For at least the third time in just over a year, Humphrey has rejected most serious charges against rule-breaking cops.—
Stephanie Stremplewski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Josephson likes to turn down the volume on the outside world, cocooning her readers in the white noise of affirmation.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
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Videos surfaced on social media showing Doncic taunting Schroder for turning down a four-year, $84 million contract with the Lakers in 2021.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Survey respondents shared multiple ways that unemployment can have a negative impact including cancelling dates for financial reasons and hesitating to even ask someone out at all.—
Gili Malinsky,
CNBC,
13 Jan. 2026
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As investors watched closely, even Republicans who hesitated to condemn the probe were careful to extol the virtues of an independent central bank.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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Even groups long noted for opposing nuclear power, such as the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Sierra Club, seem quietly ready to temporize on practical matters, such as allowing existing plants to continue as transitional energy sources.—
Andrew Cockburn,
Harper’s Magazine ,
4 Jan. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Abstain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstain. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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