as in to refuse
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Recent Examples of abstain
People with existing liver disease should completely abstain from alcohol.
—
Lindsay Curtis, Health, 8 Apr. 2025
Canada has already retaliated with its own tariffs, while Mexico has so far abstained from doing so.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 31 Mar. 2025
Young marijuana users are six times more likely to have a heart attack than those who abstain from the drug, according to a new study that analyzed data from more than 4.6 million people.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 18 Mar. 2025
State ethics rules require that lawmakers abstain from voting only if the legislation would disproportionately affect their business, compared to others in the industry.
—Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstain
Lindsay Curtis, Health, 8 Apr. 2025
Canada has already retaliated with its own tariffs, while Mexico has so far abstained from doing so.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 31 Mar. 2025
Young marijuana users are six times more likely to have a heart attack than those who abstain from the drug, according to a new study that analyzed data from more than 4.6 million people.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 18 Mar. 2025
State ethics rules require that lawmakers abstain from voting only if the legislation would disproportionately affect their business, compared to others in the industry.
—Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstain
Verb
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Indian officials had previously refused to confirm even a single aircraft loss.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
31 May 2025
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Wyatt, the senior ace on his way to Michigan, and Walker, the gritty junior second baseman who refused to give up on his dream of starting, paused when trying to wrap their heads around the scene unfolding around them.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
31 May 2025
Verb
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Brentford have rejected an offer of around €9million (£7.6m; $10.2m) from Bayer Leverkusen for their first-choice goalkeeper Mark Flekken but negotiations are ongoing over a potential deal.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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Paramount is currently engaged in mediation talks with Trump’s attorneys, who recently rejected a $15 million settlement offer and threatened further litigation, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week.—
Dominick Mastrangelo,
The Hill,
30 May 2025
Verb
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The majority did not explain its reasoning in turning down the case over weapons like the AR-15, as is typical.—
Lindsay Whitehurst,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2025
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Sadly, this is leading to more and more creators turning down partnerships while brands offer them to other creators who may not be as well-informed about topics like perpetual usage rights.—
Kristen Bousquet,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
Verb
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Those that hesitate to modernize risk becoming less competitive in today’s fast-moving market.—
John Bruno,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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As Mars slips into your 12th house on June 17, your energy turns inward, so don’t hesitate to take a step back to rest, recharge and take a break from the social scene.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
1 June 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 5 Jun. 2025.
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