abate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to reduce in amount, degree, intensity, etc.; lessen; diminish: to abate one's enthusiasm.
to abate a tax;
to abate one's enthusiasm.
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Law.
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to put an end to or suppress (a nuisance).
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to suspend or extinguish (an action).
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to annul (a writ).
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to deduct or subtract.
to abate part of the cost.
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to omit.
to abate all mention of names.
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to remove, as in stone carving, or hammer down, as in metalwork, (a portion of a surface) in order to produce a figure or pattern in low relief.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to make or become less in amount, intensity, degree, etc
the storm has abated
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(tr) law
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to remove, suppress, or terminate (a nuisance)
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to suspend or extinguish (a claim or action)
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to annul (a writ)
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(intr) law (of a writ, legal action, etc) to become null and void
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(tr) to subtract or deduct, as part of a price
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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abatesimple
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abatessimple
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have abatedperfect
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has abatedperfect
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am abatingprogressive
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are abatingprogressive
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is abatingprogressive
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have been abatingperfect progressive
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has been abatingperfect progressive
Past
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abatedsimple
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had abatedperfect
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was abatingprogressive
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were abatingprogressive
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had been abatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of abate
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French abatre “to beat down,” equivalent to a- a- 5 + batre, from Late Latin batere for Latin battuere “to beat”; a- perhaps also understood as a- 3
Explanation
Something that abates becomes fewer or less intense. Your enthusiasm for skiing might abate after falling off a ski lift and getting a mouthful of snow. Abate comes from the Old French verb abattre, "to beat down," and means to reduce or become less intense or numerous. As an intransitive verb, it is often used with something physically, emotionally, or figuratively violent, as in "the flood of fan mail began to abate." Using it transitively, if you take measures to abate pollution or noise, you reduce them. Pronounce abate with the stress on the second syllable (uh-BATE).
Vocabulary lists containing abate
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Hatchet
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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:
Richard Moody, chief economist at Regions Financial Corp., thinks Warsh could start to lay out the case for a resumption of interest-rate cuts once inflation pressures have begun to abate.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 14, 2026
Fed officials would typically look through this oil shock because, presumably, when the latest conflict in the Middle East subsides, the inflationary surge will abate as well.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
“I can no longer rule out rate hikes further down the road if inflation does not abate soon,” he added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
They accused the oil companies of creating a public nuisance by altering the environment and leaving the county to pay to abate growing hazards such as the flooding that tests roads and bridges.
From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2026
“I pray this grief of yours will soon abate and that you will return to your usual self.”
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Under the current policy, the city abates 90 percent of property taxes on conversions that set aside at least 25 percent of units as affordable housing.
From Barron's ● Jun. 14, 2026
Analysts expect their share prices to remain under pressure until the pace of redemptions abates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Then, in the depths of a recession, debts are settled, panic abates, green shoots appear, and banks begin lending more easily again — fueling a recovery that enables a new upswing.
From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
Even if the rain abates, old asphalt is notoriously difficult to dry because of weepers — the moisture that collects under the surface and then seeps through the cracks after a rainfall.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 25, 2023
The wind abates, the sun comes out, the trail across is flat—frozen seawater—and the dogs are well rested.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
“We were rightly skeptical about this so-called Sell America trade. As tariff concerns eased and recession fears abated, the debasement narrative lost momentum,” Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Research, said in commentary shared with MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 28, 2026
“It’s the predominance of this fear that they’ve heard in the media — and that’s largely abated — that a Democrat won’t make it to the runoff,” Mitchell said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
A remarkable dividend of the new approaches to crime and welfare, one with only anecdotal rather than social-science evidence, was a dramatic thaw in race relations, as fear and resentment abated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
A note from Oxford Economics pointed to improving dynamics in March after winter storms abated.
From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026
The intensity had not abated after two years, nor had her awe at his self-assured eccentricities and his fierce moralities.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
While the wildfires show no sign of abating soon, the UK Foreign Office is currently not advising against travel to France or Spain.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Key details: Healthcare providers created about half of the new jobs in June, a big trend in the past two years that shows no sign of abating.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
Interest in options is at the highest level in market history with no signs of abating.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
He also reckons that the risk of DSV moving business away from WiseTech’s CargoWise platform appears to be abating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
Already the sudden storm is passing, and its fierceness is abating; crowds are scattering homeward, and the sky is beginning to redden over the Yorkshire wolds.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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.
