as in to refuse
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Recent Examples of abstain
This year, Herbst abstained from a Feb. 4 commission vote that allows Bahia Mar to sell food and alcoholic beverages on the sand.
—
Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2025
The rules include abstaining from substances that are already forbidden by the LDS Church, practicing chastity, forgoing the use of profanity and following a dress code that prohibits men from wearing beards or goatees and requires skirts to be no shorter than knee-length.
—Ashley Hume, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2025
Trump has abstained from making security guarantees beyond an unsigned critical minerals agreement that would benefit the U.S. financially if private companies invest in Ukraine's natural resources.
—Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025
These 40 days of Lent guide Catholics to abstain from eating meat on Fridays.
—Chrissy Suttles, Axios, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstain
Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2025
The rules include abstaining from substances that are already forbidden by the LDS Church, practicing chastity, forgoing the use of profanity and following a dress code that prohibits men from wearing beards or goatees and requires skirts to be no shorter than knee-length.
—Ashley Hume, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2025
Trump has abstained from making security guarantees beyond an unsigned critical minerals agreement that would benefit the U.S. financially if private companies invest in Ukraine's natural resources.
—Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025
These 40 days of Lent guide Catholics to abstain from eating meat on Fridays.
—Chrissy Suttles, Axios, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstain
Verb
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The retro approach has been years in the making, with Trump refusing to back down in the face of a tumbling stock market and public recriminations from the United States’ top allies.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2025
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The panel of House and Senate members argued over whether to punish the universities for their DEI initiatives — diversity, equity and inclusion — or whether to reward the schools for recent actions, like refusing to compete with a volleyball team with a transgender athlete.—
Carolyn Komatsoulis,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The best way to avoid the tariffs, Trump has told businesses, is to make goods inside the U.S. EU officials had suggested sector-specific zero-for-zero tariffs with the U.S., such as in industrial goods and autos, but Trump rejected the idea.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
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Superior Court Judge Craig Collins from neighboring Gaston county also rejected it after Tench’s friends and family — his mother, sister and aunts — submitted and read aloud letters underlining the effect Tench’s disappearance and apparent death have had.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Puerto Rican label Rimas Entertainment is perhaps the biggest indie success story in Latin music; founded in 2014 by Noah Assad, it’s been the longtime home of Boricua superstar Bad Bunny, who has enjoyed an unprecedented level of success despite turning down multiple offers from major labels.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2025
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That request was turned down, with a trial slated to start in September.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
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For those who have hesitated due to financial concerns, now may be the right time to take the leap.—
Jaime Catmull,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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The time and place to hesitate, to overthink, to pass up a good shot in hopes of getting the best one has passed for the UConn men.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Romney's Cass took Obama to task for opposing development of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and for temporizing on the Keystone pipeline, while Obama's Aldy accused Romney of being insensitive to the environment and to the needs and desires of future generations.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
9 Oct. 2012
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Accompanying these principles must be a rejection of the impulse to temporize about the dangers that confront us and a rejection of the bizarre deprecation of our nation and civilization.—
Peter J. Travers,
National Review,
29 Mar. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Abstain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstain. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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