abstaining

Definition of abstainingnext
present participle of abstain

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstaining
Verb
  • Trump has criticized Powell repeatedly during his first year back in the White House ‒ threatening to try to fire him from the board of the independent agency ‒ for refusing to lower interest rates.
    Joey Garrison, USA Today, 30 Jan. 2026
  • The president and first lady — who met in college and shared two children, Mary and Russell — were uneasy about the light switches, refusing to touch them and leaving the task up to White House staff.
    Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • After two votes rejecting a contract in December, the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board is bringing back a controversial custodial company to restore cleaning services to Northwest schools.
    Bri Hatch, Chalkbeat, 30 Jan. 2026
  • However, a magistrate judge who reviewed the evidence last week approved charges against only three individuals, rejecting the evidence against Lemon and the others as insufficient.
    Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The kind of boss who would crawl inside your abdomen instead of turning down the air-conditioning, Bradley suddenly can’t function without Linda.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Deep into stoppage time, fans vented their spleen at the sight of Dominik Szoboszlai turning down the chance to cross into the box, instead opting to pass sideways to Ibrahima Konate.
    James Pearce, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • However, if large enterprises are hesitating to commit and implement, that’s a broader industry headwind impacting everyone, not just SAP.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
  • The appeals court, however, said staying the injunction serves the public interest by preventing federal agents from hesitating while carrying out lawful duties.
    Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Persons should consider delaying all travel.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2026
  • These conditions can make driving challenging, so exercise extreme caution on the road, and if possible, consider delaying your trip.
    Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 29 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The company‘s core broadband business continues declining as customers abandon cable for wireless 5G alternatives.
    Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Arnaout believes the absence of Maher took a mental toll on Wael which led to his health declining.
    Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN Money, 29 Jan. 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.

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Cite this Entry

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

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