abstained

verb

past tense of abstain
as in refused

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstained
  1. refused
  2. rejected
  3. turned down
  4. hesitated
  5. temporized
Verb
  • The bank froze the gold after the UK – along with the US and numerous other countries – refused to recognize Maduro as the winner of Venezuela’s disputed 2018 presidential election.
    — German Padinger, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
  • While The Athletic spoke to a dozen sources around the league for this story, almost all refused to comment for publication, even anonymously.
    — Annie Costabile, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of refused
Verb
  • Sherrill rejected that request Tuesday, calling it unsupported by law.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 30 July 2026
  • There were two outliers who rejected the idea that COVID was made in a lab and that the pandemic had resulted from a lab-leak.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 29 July 2026
Definition of rejected
Verb
  • By the end of his studies, Salakhutdinov recalled, Yang turned down a job offer from a senior Apple executive who reported directly to Tim Cook.
    — John Liu, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
  • Herzog reportedly turned down an out-of-competition slot in Cannes for his new feature, which stars siblings Rooney and Kate Mara in their first on-screen collaboration.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2026
Definition of turned down
Verb
  • Early in the bout, Nick Jackson suffered a head injury, which Moxley urged Ospreay to exploit, but Ospreay hesitated.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
  • When asked if Airbnbs are legal at The Club, Alvarez hesitated.
    — Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026
Definition of hesitated
Verb
  • Assad lied and temporized, the official said.
    — Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
Definition of temporized
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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abstain
abstained
abstained (from)
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“Abstained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstained. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on abstained

Nglish: Translation of abstained for Spanish Speakers

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