How to Use abstain in a Sentence

abstain

verb

• Ten members voted for the proposal, six members voted against it, and two abstained.
• The researchers didn’t even have the data to know if any fathers abstained from alcohol for that long prior to helping form a babby.
  — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 8 Oct. 2019
• That is why some leading figures on the New Right insist that their own followers abstain from violence.
  — Sylvia Taschka, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2019
• Wanting to regain her standing as a leader in the youth group, Alondra rejected birth control and tried to abstain instead.
  — Leila Atassi, cleveland, 16 Oct. 2019
• Dieting or abstaining from overeating has long been considered a task for the individual will.
  — Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
• Rose also abstained from a March 2019 vote to reject the change order that Panzica had sought.
  — Bob Sandrick, cleveland, 15 Oct. 2019
• Clearly, abstaining from alcohol is healthier than drinking even a little.
  — Noel Burgess, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
• Contestants work for weeks, even months, leaning into their skin-care regimens and abstaining from certain foods to ensure the integrity of the skin.
  — Allure, 16 Oct. 2019
• Uruguay opposed, Trinidad and Tobago abstained, and Cuba was absent.
  — Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2019
• Durran Dowdle, Ward B councilman who was serving as mayor pro tem, abstained, which was counted as a no vote.
  — Karen Zurawski, Houston Chronicle, 26 Sep. 2019
• The vote reversed a 3-0 vote three weeks ago, when three district superintendents abstained, that ruled the two players were eligible.
  — San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Oct. 2019
• Of the 20 clubs, 14 agreed to the change, five voted against and one abstained.
  — The Associated Press, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2017
• Medvedev agreed to abstain and, a few hours later, the vote passed.
  — Kim Ghattas, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2022
• More than a dozen House members abstained from the vote.
  — CBS News, 30 May 2023
• Li got 2,936 votes, with three votes cast against him and eight abstained.
  — Laura He, CNN, 10 Mar. 2023
• In his ruling, Marrero declared the federal court should abstain from the matter, as the investigation is part of an ongoing state prosecution.
  — Fox News, 7 Oct. 2019
• Burnley chose to abstain, whilst the remaining 14 were in favour of the change.
  — SI.com, 26 Aug. 2019
• The most effective way to avoid any risks of cannabis use is to abstain from use.
  — James Hamblin, The Atlantic, 18 Aug. 2017
• As a result, the King abstains from elections to this day.
  — Anna Gordon, TIME, 24 May 2024
• The Netherlands hasn’t let go of the issue but agreed to abstain from the vote, allowing the plan to get the go-ahead.
  — Robert Goulder, Forbes, 5 July 2022
• But who will manage to abstain from hooking up, and who will break the rules in record time?
  — Amy MacKelden, ELLE, 8 Dec. 2022
• Two members abstained from the vote and three were absent.
  — Allison Kite, kansascity, 14 May 2018
• Many of these voters will abstain in the May 7 second round, polls show.
  — Helene Fouquet, Bloomberg.com, 28 Apr. 2017
• The judge ordered Wright to abstain from any substance abuse.
  — Jason Meisner, chicagotribune.com, 9 Dec. 2020
• The proposals passed with a total of 647 votes for and eight against, with five votes to abstain.
  — Jonathan M. Pitts, baltimoresun.com, 13 June 2019
• If the chief justice abstained from breaking a tie, the motion would fail.
  — Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2020
• Scott Bailey was the lone board member to abstain from the final vote on the agreement.
  — oregonlive.com, 26 June 2019
• Forty-five members abstained, and the rest were absent.
  — New York Times, 13 June 2018
• Nine voted against, 35 abstained and 21 did not cast a vote.
  — NBC News, 23 Feb. 2018
• But the thing that’s stuck with me the most from Dry January is that abstaining doesn’t have to be a drag.
  — Sarah Todd, Quartz, 31 Dec. 2019

Last Updated: 16 Jan 2025