1
as in surrendering
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 abdicating
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 relinquishing
Payton relinquishing the duties deserves praise.
—
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2026
Riley was the head coach and team president for the Heat’s first NBA championship in 2006 before relinquishing those duties to Erik Spoelstra in 2008.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
The Buffalo Bills lasted seven weeks in the pole position before relinquishing the title to the Kansas City Chiefs.
—Scott Phillips, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Hamas has shown no signs of relinquishing power or its weapons.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 30 Dec. 2025
If the royal family represents symbolic capital, fashion operates on cultural capital, and Meghan’s motive since relinquishing her HRH title has been converting the one into the other.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2025
Lawyer Fleming said hundreds of people have made that choice, relinquishing rights to a legal hearing.
—Whitney Wild, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025
Philip Morris later purchased Nabisco and absorbed it into Kraft, before relinquishing control of the company in 2007.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
That appointment in turn led to Silvia Venturini Fendi relinquishing her creative duties to become honorary president of the Roman house.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 15 Dec. 2025
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2026
Riley was the head coach and team president for the Heat’s first NBA championship in 2006 before relinquishing those duties to Erik Spoelstra in 2008.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
The Buffalo Bills lasted seven weeks in the pole position before relinquishing the title to the Kansas City Chiefs.
—Scott Phillips, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Hamas has shown no signs of relinquishing power or its weapons.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 30 Dec. 2025
If the royal family represents symbolic capital, fashion operates on cultural capital, and Meghan’s motive since relinquishing her HRH title has been converting the one into the other.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2025
Lawyer Fleming said hundreds of people have made that choice, relinquishing rights to a legal hearing.
—Whitney Wild, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025
Philip Morris later purchased Nabisco and absorbed it into Kraft, before relinquishing control of the company in 2007.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
That appointment in turn led to Silvia Venturini Fendi relinquishing her creative duties to become honorary president of the Roman house.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 15 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relinquishing
Verb
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In the aftermath of the shooting, video was posted on social media, and commenters raised concerns about police opening fire on a man who appeared in the video to be surrendering.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Chicagoans like us know something about living alongside violence without surrendering our civic identity.—
Andy Shaw,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Democratic leaders have accused Congress of abdicating its constitutional role, and some members plan to boycott the address or attend in silent protest.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
23 Feb. 2026
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The United States, in other words, is not just abdicating its role in the current international system.—
ELIZABETH ECONOMY,
Foreign Affairs,
9 Dec. 2025
Verb
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At around minute 23, emergency responders are seen rendering care and checking Martinez's body for exit wounds.—
Camilo Montoya-Galvez,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The programmatic shuffle is rendering parts of the old Artemis plan obsolete, leaving major ground hardware half-built and an uncertain future for the Gateway moon-orbiting space station under development.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
So some time has passed since Claire almost died of a gunshot wound and Jamie taught us all that resigning from the Army by way of a note written in your wife’s blood is a viable option.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
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Her mother, Katie Hensle, spent nine years as the head coach of the Chaparrals, compiling a record of 209-99 before resigning in February 2022.—
Rick Cantu,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Nearly a third of teachers hold a second job that is unrelated to education, including driving Ubers, delivering food, and working as bartenders and waiters.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
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The bomber previously played a key role in delivering strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites last June.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This all comes after reports that Andrew is considering renouncing his spot in the line of succession in order to avoid jail time.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
3 Mar. 2026
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Its roots are in publicly paying penance for serious sins or crimes in the eyes of the church, like adultery or apostasy, which means renouncing the church and its beliefs.—
Lianna Norman,
Florida Times-Union,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But Scrubs builds the new cast members into each episode bit by bit, ceding a little more narrative ground to them with each episode rather than immediately overwhelming their caseload.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
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The latest cliff-hanger, which saw Netflix ceding the bidding war to Paramount late Thursday, had Hollywood and the media worlds agog.—
Rebecca Keegan,
NBC news,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Relinquishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relinquishing. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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