RELINQUISHING Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

relinquishing

verb

present participle of relinquish

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

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

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of relinquishing America is the ultimate answer to the pogrom, and to the emancipation Europe offered on the condition of relinquishing Jewish ethnic and cultural distinctiveness. — Rory Lancman, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026 Giudice survived prison, divorce and years of family warfare without relinquishing her place at the center of New Jersey. — Maer Roshan, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026 For Harrison, the collaboration also meant relinquishing some control. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 22 July 2026 Clearly, the Flyers are comfortable with relinquishing first-round picks in their next four drafts as there is more value in having a true 1C in Carlsson. — Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 8 July 2026 But for Iran, reopening the strait does not mean relinquishing control of it. — Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 29 June 2026 Furthermore, leaders like George Washington achieved greatness not by hoarding power, but by relinquishing it. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 June 2026 Loth promptly went out and took care of business, taking the lead early before briefly relinquishing it, then pulling away down the stretch. — Frank Rajkowski, Twin Cities, 6 June 2026 Consumers are intrigued by convenience, but at the same time clearly uneasy about relinquishing control. — Jacques Ledbetter, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for relinquishing

Verb

Not even surrendering 18 runs can disrupt the drill, so there sat Espada atop the dais after a disastrous Thursday night.

— Chandler Rome, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Taking Getty's money, however, also meant surrendering control.

— Nicole Kraft, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of surrendering

Verb

This is what the impeachment process was designed for, to remove public officials abdicating their responsibilities.

— New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026
They’d be upset about Article One of the Constitution, the legislative branch abdicating its powers; that is, the people’s power to wage war and to levy tariffs.

— KEN BURNS, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2026

Definition of abdicating

Verb

Russia is slowly edging towards its territorial goal of taking the Donbas – albeit through rendering the remaining ground held by Ukraine uninhabitable through horrific drone strikes on all signs of civilian and military life.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Restore screenwriter Scott Frank’s original idea of rendering the past in black and white.

— Callum McLennan, Variety, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of rendering

Verb

Freeland grabbed at his back after delivering a pitch to Ben Rortvedt, who flied out on the play, and was removed after allowing four runs on six hits.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Several minutes earlier, Hall argued over a long completion from Colts quarterback Daniel Jones to receiver Josh Downs, during which Hall eased up at the catch point to avoid delivering a big hit on Downs.

— Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of delivering

Verb

That starts with renouncing the use of military intervention as a first resort and ending the practice of diplomacy by airstrike.

— MARC LYNCH, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
In these photographs, the maternal body enters spaces designed around seduction, aspiration, and idealized femininity without renouncing any of them.

— Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of renouncing

Verb

But an industry that can only reliably fill seats for a dozen event-scale releases a year, while quietly ceding everything else to streaming, is not a healthy industry putting on a growth spurt.

— Olivia Shalhoup, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
The Russia sanctions bill merely marks the latest instance of the legislative branch ceding trade authority to the executive branch.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of ceding

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“Relinquishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relinquishing. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of relinquishing

verb

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