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
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
A lot of shonen protagonists have the grace to try and rescue their enemies, but My Hero Academia’s Deku stands out by also totally relinquishing his power, his most heroic act of all.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
McMillon said that as AI continues to proliferate and impact the ways that people’s lives and daily activities work, Walmart needs to stay an active part of the transformation, even if that means relinquishing control of how that technology evolves.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 4 Nov. 2025
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
A lot of shonen protagonists have the grace to try and rescue their enemies, but My Hero Academia’s Deku stands out by also totally relinquishing his power, his most heroic act of all.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
McMillon said that as AI continues to proliferate and impact the ways that people’s lives and daily activities work, Walmart needs to stay an active part of the transformation, even if that means relinquishing control of how that technology evolves.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relinquishing
Verb
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The suspect pulled over to the side of the freeway near the 101 Freeway northbound before surrendering to CHP officers.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
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Picking up his fourth and fifth strikeouts of the afternoon and inducing a soft ground ball, Dylan Volantis completed his fifth inning of work without surrendering a hit.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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After all, Perfidia explodes other archetypes, too—for instance, abdicating her roles as a mother and romantic partner to continue her work.—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
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After rendering a contemporary Native American community in specific, surreal, often hilarious detail in Reservation Dogs, Sterlin Harjo turned to noir with The Lowdown.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
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This method also had the practical downside of rendering my colander unusable for straining the rigatoni for my Wednesday-night pasta alla vodka.—
Alma Avalle,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Tim Allan, Starmer’s director of communications, followed suit on Monday, resigning from his position in what appeared to be an attempt to ease the pressure on Starmer.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
9 Feb. 2026
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Pawula was working for the Big Tent Coalition, a political action committee founded by Tim Ozinga, R-Mokena, who was state representative in the 37th House District before abruptly resigning in April 2024.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Weak job numbers will likely tempt the Fed into delivering new rounds of cheaper money to boost the economy.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
16 Feb. 2026
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This 3-in-1 set uses the nutribullet Ultra Motor Base to power personal blending, food processor, and coffee and spice grinder attachments, delivering full-kitchen functionality within one space-saving design.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Margaret’s father succeeded him as King George VI, and her mother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, never forgave the duke for renouncing his duty to his country.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
29 Dec. 2025
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Ukraine withdrawing from all of the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and Kyiv officially renouncing its aim to join NATO.—
Andrea Shalal,
USA Today,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Stalin invaded in November of 1939, expecting a quick takeover, but the Finns inflicted many times more casualties on the Soviets before eventually ceding 11 percent of their territory and partial control over their foreign affairs.—
Boris Fishman,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
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Maybe these choices aren’t driven by a fear of ceding audience attention to TikTok so much as by fear of letting a taut story go slack.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Relinquishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relinquishing. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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