See the Dictionary Definition 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstained
Verb
-
During the last art Biennale, Israel’s participating artist Ruth Patir refused to open the show at the national Pavilion, saying the doors would remain shut until a hostage agreement and ceasefire deal in Gaza were reached.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026 -
But the reserves refused to cooperate with that notion.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
At one point, Iran asked to move its games to Mexico, but that request was rejected.—
Anne M. Peterson,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
Voters in a 1986 retention election rejected Rose Bird, the chief justice of the California Supreme Court, and two liberal colleagues, over dissatisfaction with decisions overturning numerous death penalty sentences.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Plus, Superjumbo has been holding back on things like listening parties and has turned down artists that wanted to do in-store performances because of the limited space, according to Mancuso.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
The deal Hackling turned down would have required a guilty plea and included a 30-year prison sentence, suspended after service of 15 years, and five years of probation.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Representatives from federal health agencies hesitated to back Fogel’s definition after only having a few days to consult with their colleagues at their respective agencies.—
O. Rose Broderick,
STAT,
28 Apr. 2026
-
As of last month, that number was about 3 million as employees hesitated to quit at a time when job searches can drag on for months.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Assad lied and temporized, the official said.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Abstained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstained. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
