waive

as in to deny
to officially say that you will not use or require something that you are allowed to have or that is usually required She waived her right to a lawyer. The university waives the application fee for low-income students.

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word waive different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of waive are abandon, relinquish, resign, surrender, and yield. While all these words mean "to give up completely," waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion.

waived the right to a trial by jury

When is it sensible to use abandon instead of waive?

The synonyms abandon and waive are sometimes interchangeable, but abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up.

abandoned all hope

When is relinquish a more appropriate choice than waive?

The words relinquish and waive are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness.

relinquished her crown

When might resign be a better fit than waive?

In some situations, the words resign and waive are roughly equivalent. However, resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle.

resigned her position

When could surrender be used to replace waive?

While the synonyms surrender and waive are close in meaning, surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist.

surrendered their claims

Where would yield be a reasonable alternative to waive?

The words yield and waive can be used in similar contexts, but yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force.

the troops yielded ground grudgingly

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 waive Sanchez has waived an initial court hearing set for Tuesday for the misdemeanor charges. Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2025 An Air Canada executive stated that waiving alcohol fees is more affordable than cutting baggage fees. Reuters, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025 In July, SoCal Edison announced a program that is expected to start offering direct compensation in the fall to some fire victims that choose to waive their rights to sue the company. Chiara Eisner, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025 This year, Sea Cloud is waiving the single supplement on all bookings made before October 31. Jeri Clausing, AFAR Media, 2 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for waive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waive
Verb
  • Republicans argue Democrats want to fund health care for immigrants in the country illegally, a claim Democrats deny.
    Todd Spangler, Freep.com, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Once there, she was assigned a bare mattress on the floor and denied religious accommodations, including Halal meals, her lawyers said.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Liberation lies in relinquishing projection, in surrendering the desire for children to mirror our priorities and accomplishments.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
  • For decades after that, most parents who relinquished infants for adoption did not expect to see or hear from those children again.
    Nicole Chung, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Waive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waive. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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