abolish

[ uh-bol-ish ]
See synonyms for: abolishabolishedabolishingabolishment on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to do away with; put an end to; annul; make void: to abolish slavery.

Origin of abolish

1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French aboliss-, long stem of abolir, from Latin abolēre “to destroy, efface”

synonym study For abolish

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 words for abolish

Opposites for abolish

Other words from abolish

  • a·bol·ish·a·ble, adjective
  • a·bol·ish·er, noun
  • a·bol·ish·ment, noun
  • un·a·bol·ish·a·ble, adjective
  • un·a·bol·ished, adjective
  • well-a·bol·ished, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use abolish in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for abolish

abolish

/ (əˈbɒlɪʃ) /


verb
  1. (tr) to do away with (laws, regulations, customs, etc); put an end to

Origin of abolish

1
C15: from Old French aboliss- (lengthened stem of abolir), ultimately from Latin abolēre to destroy

Derived forms of abolish

  • abolishable, adjective
  • abolisher, noun
  • abolishment, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012