relinquish
verb
re·lin·quish
ri-ˈliŋ-kwish 
-ˈlin-
relinquished; relinquishing; relinquishes
1
: to withdraw or retreat from : leave behind
2
: give up
relinquish a title
Synonyms
Examples of relinquish in a Sentence
They had turned to an open adoption after pursuing infertility treatments for 18 years, and the birth mother had agreed to relinquish custody at the hospital.
—
Emily Nussbaum, Discover, January 2000
In April of that year Albert Slyusar, one of the legendary figures of the Afghanistan war, had relinquished command of 103 Guards Airborne Division.
—Carey Schofield, The Russian Elite, 1993
The feedback seems to operate on the premise that people who relinquish the civilized art of maintaining creative cities are not to be entrusted with the risks of developing further.
—Jane Jacobs, Cities and the Wealth of Nations, (1984) 1985
The Major no sooner heard the voice, than he relinquished Mr Dombey's arm, darted forward, took the hand of the lady in the chair and pressed it to his lips.
—Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, 1848
I will not relinquish my rights.
She was forced to relinquish control of the project.
The court ordered him to relinquish custody of his child.
Emily Nussbaum, Discover, January 2000
In April of that year Albert Slyusar, one of the legendary figures of the Afghanistan war, had relinquished command of 103 Guards Airborne Division.
—Carey Schofield, The Russian Elite, 1993
The feedback seems to operate on the premise that people who relinquish the civilized art of maintaining creative cities are not to be entrusted with the risks of developing further.
—Jane Jacobs, Cities and the Wealth of Nations, (1984) 1985
The Major no sooner heard the voice, than he relinquished Mr Dombey's arm, darted forward, took the hand of the lady in the chair and pressed it to his lips.
—Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, 1848
I will not relinquish my rights.
She was forced to relinquish control of the project.
The court ordered him to relinquish custody of his child.
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump is especially bitter that President Carter, in 1977, entered into agreement with Panama to relinquish control of the canal by the year 1999.
—Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2025
Ellis hired his previous CBS Records colleague Gregg Geller, who José promptly put in charge of the Elvis Presley catalog, moving it over from Nashville, where Joe Galante was only too happy to relinquish it after the sales spike from Presley’s death in 1977 had cooled off.
—Roy Trakin, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2025
But that didn’t happen – with the Lakers relinquishing most of their lead, but never trailing in the second, beating the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena for their fourth consecutive victory, eighth win in nine games and 10th victory in 12 games.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 7 Feb. 2025
The treaty assured that the Panama Canal would remain neutral once the U.S. relinquished control.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for relinquish 
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Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2025
Ellis hired his previous CBS Records colleague Gregg Geller, who José promptly put in charge of the Elvis Presley catalog, moving it over from Nashville, where Joe Galante was only too happy to relinquish it after the sales spike from Presley’s death in 1977 had cooled off.
—Roy Trakin, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2025
But that didn’t happen – with the Lakers relinquishing most of their lead, but never trailing in the second, beating the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena for their fourth consecutive victory, eighth win in nine games and 10th victory in 12 games.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 7 Feb. 2025
The treaty assured that the Panama Canal would remain neutral once the U.S. relinquished control.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for relinquish
Dictionary Entries Near relinquish
Cite this Entry
“Relinquish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relinquish. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
relinquish
verb
re·lin·quish
ri-ˈliŋ-kwish
1
: to withdraw or retreat from : leave behind
relinquished their homes and sailed to the New World
2
: to give over to the control or possession of another
relinquish a title
3
: to let go of : release
relinquish your grip on the bar
few leaders willingly relinquish power
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