as in abdicating
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
following the election, the incumbent cabinet members resigned their positions so the president could feel free to pick a new administration
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Recent Examples of resigning
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
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
The emails appeared to have been written by Epstein on behalf of an aggrieved employee of Gates who was resigning.
—Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Hancock has been acting comptroller since July, after resigning his state Senate seat to take over the office.
—Aarón Torres, Dallas Morning News, 3 Mar. 2026
The furore led to both Davie and the BBC’s head of news Deborah Turness resigning.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
The fans never got an opportunity to give a grateful goodbye, Pat Riley resigning on an early summer afternoon 36 years ago after the end of a lost season.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
The federal prosecutor’s office in Minnesota has been gutted by a wave of career officials resigning or retiring over objections to Trump administration directives.
—ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
Sporting director Medhi Benatia is staying until the end of the season, despite resigning two days ago, American owner Frank McCourt has confirmed.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
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
The emails appeared to have been written by Epstein on behalf of an aggrieved employee of Gates who was resigning.
—Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Hancock has been acting comptroller since July, after resigning his state Senate seat to take over the office.
—Aarón Torres, Dallas Morning News, 3 Mar. 2026
The furore led to both Davie and the BBC’s head of news Deborah Turness resigning.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
The fans never got an opportunity to give a grateful goodbye, Pat Riley resigning on an early summer afternoon 36 years ago after the end of a lost season.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
The federal prosecutor’s office in Minnesota has been gutted by a wave of career officials resigning or retiring over objections to Trump administration directives.
—ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
Sporting director Medhi Benatia is staying until the end of the season, despite resigning two days ago, American owner Frank McCourt has confirmed.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for resigning
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
-
Researchers warned about relinquishing autonomy without interpretability.—
Victoria Bousis,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2026
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Their dreadful February reeks of a team that grew desperate to reap the benefits of a dying method, at least somewhat relinquishing its old, stubborn ways.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
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
Cite this Entry
“Resigning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/resigning. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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