abstaining

verb

present participle of abstain
as in refusing

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstaining
  1. refusing
  2. rejecting
  3. turning down
  4. hesitating
  5. delaying
  6. declining
Verb
  • Biscayne 21’s declaration — the document that establishes the condominium — required a unanimous vote to terminate the building’s condo association, a goal that seemed unlikely with a group of residents refusing to sell.
    — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Court records show Romo was cited for refusing to take a test for intoxication and first offense OWI.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of refusing
Verb
  • A lot of communities across the country are rejecting new data centers.
    — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The council then has the final say in approving — or rejecting — Lucas’ nomination.
    — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of rejecting
Verb
  • Tucker entered last offseason as the consensus top free agent after turning down a qualifying offer from the Chicago Cubs.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • After all, the billionaire founder lived a whirlwind of a career, turning down lucrative job offers and weathering professional rejection before ultimately launching one of the world’s biggest biotech companies.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of turning down
Verb
  • Fertilizer is often bought months ahead of planting, so hesitating in the fall can mean less goes on the ground in the spring.
    — Jayash Paudel, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Cueto was known for hesitating while in his pitching motion, or wiggling on the mound.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of hesitating
Verb
  • Rural leaders will probably follow the urban practice of ensuring community input – as required by Congress – before allowing tax-delaying investments by wealthy financial backers.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Sep. 2026
  • In a 2022 One Earth study of more than 47,000 people across 68 countries, researcher Kelton Minor and colleagues found that warmer nighttime temperatures shorten sleep, mostly by delaying when people fall asleep.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of delaying
Verb
  • The Republican party has promised a return to the good ol’ days, with strong nuclear families at the crux and a fight against the declining birth rate.
    — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Additionally, the drug supply is always changing, with the potency of fentanyl declining in recent years.
    — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of declining
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.

Browse Nearby Words

abstain (from)
abstaining
abstaining (from)
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Cite this Entry

“Abstaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstaining. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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