abolish
Americanverb (used with object)
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abolishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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abolished,
past participle, past
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abolishing
present participle
verb
Synonym Usage
Abolish, eradicate, stamp out mean to do away completely with something. To abolish is to cause to cease, often by a summary order: to abolish a requirement. Stamp out implies forcibly making an end to something considered undesirable or harmful: to stamp out the opium traffic. Eradicate (literally, to tear out by the roots ), a formal word, suggests extirpation, leaving no vestige or trace: to eradicate all use of child labor.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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abolishernoun
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abolishmentnoun
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abolishableadjective
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unabolishableadjective
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unabolishedadjective
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well-abolishedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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abolishsimple
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abolishessimple
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have abolishedperfect
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has abolishedperfect
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am abolishingprogressive
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are abolishingprogressive
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is abolishingprogressive
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have been abolishingperfect progressive
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has been abolishingperfect progressive
Past
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abolishedsimple
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had abolishedperfect
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was abolishingprogressive
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were abolishingprogressive
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had been abolishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of abolish
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French aboliss-, long stem of abolir, from Latin abolēre “to destroy, efface”
Explanation
To abolish is to get rid of or annul. So when the principal yells at you for the 100th time for not having your shirt tucked in, it's safe to wish they'd just abolish the silly dress code. The word abolish might stir up some historical connotations, since in the U.S. it's commonly associated with bringing an end to slavery. In fact, those who opposed slavery were called "abolitionists." The word comes to us from the Latin word abolere, meaning "to destroy or cause to die out." These days abolish is used to bring a final and official-sounding end to laws, codes, and unsavory practices.
Vocabulary lists containing abolish
List 1
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The Declaration of Independence
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Life Is So Good
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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.
See Examples For:
He sought to create a selfless “New Man” and tried to abolish money.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Lebanon's parliament has voted to abolish the death penalty, a move that would make it the first country in the Middle East to formally end capital punishment.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
As co-founder of the Lebanese Association for Civil Rights, she led a nearly three-decade campaign to abolish the death penalty in Lebanon.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The goal isn’t to abolish remote work, but to recognize that company has value.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
He promised to abolish the Treaty of Versailles, calling it "unfair punishment."
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
The new version of the constitution also declares Uzbekistan a "social state" with increased welfare obligations, abolishes death penalty, establishes greater personal legal protection, and allows non-farming land ownership.
From Reuters ● Apr. 27, 2023
"It simply abolishes what we already have," Prof Sampson told BBC News.
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2023
Musk creates an “official” label for high-profile Twitter accounts, and abolishes it hours later.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 19, 2022
The new law erodes the effects of single family zoning, he said, "but it in no way overrides or abolishes it."
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2021
It formally abolishes by law and usage a divine institution.
From Three Prize Essays on American Slavery by A.C. Baldwin
If a referendum had been successful and the post of mayor had been abolished, it is likely that the council would have adopted a strong leader model.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Every coin America has ever abolished, from the half-cent in 1857 forward, died the same way.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
They were abolished in 1967 but restored in the 1990s under President Museveni.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
On Thursday, fan groups from clubs across the country shared co-signed statements critical of VAR and calling for the video assistant referee technology to be abolished.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
The constitutional monarchy had been abolished, replaced by a republic, led by a president of the republic.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said abolishing Healthwatch England was part of plans "to simplify the patient safety landscape".
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
It could even reach for a nuclear option: abolishing the draft altogether, and making incoming rookies free agents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026
Both leaders came with lofty goals, yet discussed methodical steps that included a 50 percent cut in strategic nuclear arms, with the ultimate target of abolishing the entire global nuclear stockpile by the year 2000.
From Slate ● Feb. 2, 2026
He has eliminated whole layers of government, abolishing eight ministries or agencies and cutting nearly 150,000 jobs from the state payroll, while pushing ambitious rail and power projects.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
“It is easy for dreamers to speak of abolishing slavery,” said Mr. Sharpe.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
