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
  • The Western Illinois recruit thrives on meting out punishment and refuses to go down easily.
    — Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026
  • To join the tide of anti-intellectualism that refuses to take this seriously or rise to the challenge of doing so, as Tate has done with this exhibition, is a grave shame.
    — Eliza Goodpasture, ARTnews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of refuses
Verb
  • The Joint List rejects Zionist parties that define Israel as a Jewish state.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
  • However, the Wisne plaintiffs’ antitrust case ends if the court rejects their relevant market.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of rejects
Verb
  • The candidate who turns down your offer doesn’t necessarily go on to repeat what was heard.
    — Jon Michail, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of turns down
Verb
  • Smear certainly finds Ides of March star Clooney, who never hesitates to put his politics and star power to work, and the rest of the cast stepping into some deep, murky and often digital waters.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Deanna hesitates, still wounded by the estrangement, but opens the house again.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 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 14 Nov. 2026.

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