abstains

verb

present tense third-person singular of abstain
as in refuses

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstains
  1. refuses
  2. rejects
  3. turns down
  4. hesitates
Verb
  • Each time the topic comes up, Jones flatly refuses to consider curtains.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
  • If Paramount refuses, Bonta said the coalition would seek a temporary restraining order asking a judge to hold up the merger, a move that would cause costly delays and escalate legal expenses for Paramount.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026
Definition of refuses
Verb
  • DeVoto persuades an editor at Houghton Mifflin to offer them a contract; when Houghton Mifflin eventually rejects the manuscript, DeVoto gets Knopf interested.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
  • Israel rejects that position, saying the West Bank is disputed territory where there has been ​a Jewish presence for thousands of years.
    — Rami Ayyub, USA Today, 11 July 2026
Definition of rejects
Verb
  • Pairing a floral sundress with a pair of white sneakers turns down the volume on the feminine formality, making the classic piece a bit less fussy.
    — Amber Rambharose, InStyle, 18 June 2026
  • If a local school board turns down a charter, the organizers can appeal to the OC Board, which covers the whole county.
    — John Seiler, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
Definition of turns down
Verb
  • If someone hesitates, gently restate the goal and offer one reasonable option while staying loyal to your own needs.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 6 July 2026
  • In Spearfish, Yu hesitates over a set of cow grates and dumps her bike at low velocity.
    — Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026
Definition of hesitates
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

abstaining (from)
abstains
abstains (from)
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Cite this Entry

“Abstains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstains. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of abstains for Spanish Speakers

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