abstain
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
-
to choose to refrain
he abstained from alcohol
-
to refrain from voting, esp in a committee, legislature, etc
Other Word Forms
- abstainer noun
- nonabstaining adjective
- overabstain verb (used without object)
Etymology
Origin of abstain
1350–1400; Middle English abste ( i ) nen < Middle French abstenir ≪ Latin abstinēre, equivalent to abs- abs- + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre to hold, keep
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Norway's football federation abstained from the process and argued the bidding process undermined "Fifa's reforms for good governance" and challenged "trust in Fifa".
From BBC
Commission Vice Chairman James McCrery abstained from discussions and the vote at Thursday's meeting.
From BBC
“Arbitrators aren’t elected, they’re not required to weigh countywide trade-offs like homeless services, healthcare, capital improvements, all of those things,” said Supervisor Holly Mitchell, the only supervisor to abstain from the vote.
From Los Angeles Times
Coffee wasn’t a choice: Tanner is Mormon, and adherents traditionally abstain.
Although she did not agree a deal for the new budget Jane Dodds, the Welsh Liberal Democrat leader and the party's only MS, said she would also be abstaining on the budget.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
