as in to refuse
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Recent Examples of abstain
In the Bundestag, 394 members voted no, 207 voted yes and 116 abstained.
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H.j. Mai, NPR, 16 Dec. 2024
Clearly, abstaining from alcohol is healthier than drinking even a little.
—Noel Burgess, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Dieting or abstaining from overeating has long been considered a task for the individual will.
—Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
Why Non-Alcoholic Options Matter Many people start the new year fresh by participating in the Dry January movement, abstaining from alcohol for the entire month.
—Ronny Maye, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for abstain 
H.j. Mai, NPR, 16 Dec. 2024
Clearly, abstaining from alcohol is healthier than drinking even a little.
—Noel Burgess, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Dieting or abstaining from overeating has long been considered a task for the individual will.
—Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
Why Non-Alcoholic Options Matter Many people start the new year fresh by participating in the Dry January movement, abstaining from alcohol for the entire month.
—Ronny Maye, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for abstain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstain
Verb
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During this year's presidential race, Trump refused to release his full medical records, in contrast to Vice President Kamala Harris.Gord Magill, Newsweek, 21 Dec. 2024
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President Biden signed a bill into law Saturday that averts a government shutdown, bringing a final close to days of upheaval after Congress approved a temporary funding plan just past the deadline and refused President-elect Donald Trump’s core debt demands in the package.Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Government shutdown:Donald Trump rejects bipartisan plan to avoid a government shutdown, sets up debt ceiling battle When is the government shutdown deadline?Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024
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The judge in that case on Monday rejected Trump’s request to toss out the convictions and indictment on a claim of presidential immunity.Dan Mangan, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Under Zaidi, the Giants were turned down by such high-profile players as Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani despite making competitive offers.Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 22 Dec. 2024
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In 2022, Cruz turned down offers in Mexico to make one last run at the big leagues, finally signing a minor-league deal with the Reds.C. Trent Rosecrans, The Athletic, 21 Dec. 2024
Verb
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On 12 Pell’s lively social media accounts, the young, predominantly Asian American barbers don’t hesitate to offer advice to teens and men of all ages and ethnicities with humor, quips and confidence.Deepti Hajela, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2024
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The challenge winner did not hesitate in telling the group of her decision, which was that Sam and Teeny would square off at fire and have an opportunity to fight for a chance to lose to Rachel at the end.Dalton Ross, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024
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
Thesaurus Entries Near abstain
Cite this Entry
“Abstain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstain. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
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