1
as in to surrender
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
the boy reluctantly relinquished the illegal fireworks to the police officer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to abdicate
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
the retiring CEO relinquished his position to the company's vice president with very mixed feelings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of relinquish
After an impressive 380-day reign as the Women's World Champion, her momentum was abruptly halted in April 2024 when an injury, courtesy of Liv Morgan, forced her to relinquish the title.
—
David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Apr. 2025
Christ relinquishes power to raise up our shared humanity.
—Rev. Frank Alagna, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2025
As has been the case often this spring, though, Geneva found a way to come back and South Elgin found a way to relinquish the lead.
—Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2025
The New York congresswoman had relinquished her No. 4 leadership slot as House Republican Conference Chair since she had been named Trump’s UN pick, and Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) was elected in her place.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for relinquish
David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Apr. 2025
Christ relinquishes power to raise up our shared humanity.
—Rev. Frank Alagna, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2025
As has been the case often this spring, though, Geneva found a way to come back and South Elgin found a way to relinquish the lead.
—Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2025
The New York congresswoman had relinquished her No. 4 leadership slot as House Republican Conference Chair since she had been named Trump’s UN pick, and Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) was elected in her place.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for relinquish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relinquish
Verb
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While it’s been relatively rare for charter schools in Fort Worth to surrender their charters, Rocketship Texas’ closure comes about a year after the closure of another local campus, for similar reasons.—
Silas Allen,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Apr. 2025
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Several hours later, around 4:30 p.m., the suspect in the killing, 47-year-old Terrell Gibbs, contacted police and agreed to surrender, Sprecco said.—
Christian Martinez,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Center for Western Priorities, a conservation advocacy group, said Burgum was abdicating his responsibilities.—
Rachel Frazin,
The Hill,
21 Apr. 2025
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The authors wonder when people will abdicate more authority to AI as it becomes increasingly intertwined in every aspect of life.—
Michael Ashley,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The ability to render the real world using charcoal is utter trickery.—
Emily Wilson,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
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The awesome death of John Wick needed to be rendered null and void so that Keanu Reeves could come back.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Keesee resigned from his position at the church in August.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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Sassoon, who replaced U.S. Attorney Damien Williams in the Southern District of New York, declined to drop the case against Adams and resigned.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Comcast delivered first-quarter results slightly better than Wall Street expectations, but its shares fell in pre-market trading Thursday.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2025
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But after such a storming end to the league campaign and scoring 30 goals without reply on the four-game route to the final, Wrexham’s women are hopeful of delivering their half of a notable club double.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In this telling, the blood of Christian martyrs facing lions rather than renouncing their faith eventually transformed the Roman empire.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2025
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Eventually, in 2019, the Business Round Table realized that business based totally on the self-interest of short-term profits was untenable and officially renounced it.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But in Mexico, which in defeat was forced to cede more than half of its territory to the U.S., memories of the war and other military quarrels with the nation’s powerful northern neighbor remain deeply felt.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2025
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The Russian attack came amid intensifying negotiations to end the war, with White House officials pressuring Zelenskyy and Ukraine to accept a potential peace plan that may include ceding land to Russia, according to a senior Ukrainian official.—
Kevin Shalvey,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Relinquish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relinquish. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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