abate

American  

[uh-bayt] / əˈbeɪt /

verb (used with object)

• abates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• abated,
  past participle,  past
• abating
  present participle

1. 

   to reduce in amount, degree, intensity, etc.; lessen; diminish: to abate one's enthusiasm.

   to abate a tax;

   to abate one's enthusiasm.

   Synonyms:

   weaken, decrease

   Antonyms:

   intensify, increase

2. Law.

   1. to put an end to or suppress (a nuisance).

   2. to suspend or extinguish (an action).

   3. to annul (a writ).

3. to deduct or subtract.

   to abate part of the cost.

4. to omit.

   to abate all mention of names.

5. 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.

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verb (used without object)

• abates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• abated,
  past participle,  past
• abating
  present participle

1. to diminish in intensity, violence, amount, etc.: The pain in his shoulder finally abated.

   The storm has abated.

   The pain in his shoulder finally abated.

   Synonyms:

   subside

   Antonyms:

   intensify, increase

2. Law. to end; become null and void.

abate British  

/ əˈbeɪt /

verb

1. to make or become less in amount, intensity, degree, etc

   the storm has abated

2. (tr) law

   1. to remove, suppress, or terminate (a nuisance)

   2. to suspend or extinguish (a claim or action)

   3. to annul (a writ)

3. (intr) law (of a writ, legal action, etc) to become null and void

4. (tr) to subtract or deduct, as part of a price

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• abater
  noun
• abatable
  adjective
• unabatable
  adjective
• unabating
  adjective
• unabatingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• abating
  present
• abated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• abate
  simple
• abates
  simple
• have abated
  perfect
• has abated
  perfect
• am abating
  progressive
• are abating
  progressive
• is abating
  progressive
• have been abating
  perfect progressive
• has been abating
  perfect progressive

Past

• abated
  simple
• had abated
  perfect
• was abating
  progressive
• were abating
  progressive
• had been abating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will abate
  simple
• will have abated
  perfect
• will be abating
  progressive
• will have been abating
  perfect progressive

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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

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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).

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

abate abates abated abating

This isn’t going to abate as an issue over time, either.

From Slate ● Sep. 19, 2026

Downtown businesses were already struggling when people started buying more retail goods online, a trend that didn’t abate when lockdowns ended, Schuster said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

Tractor Supply is dialing up promotions and trimming prices on popular items after concluding consumer belt-tightening won’t abate anytime soon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

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

It took several seconds for the ringing in Ekon’s ears to abate.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

“This year, investors have been more sensitive to Shopify’s cost management and margin dilution, and we believe today’s print largely abates those concerns, and establishes an upward trajectory for FCF margins going forward,” Shao wrote.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Analysts expect their share prices to remain under pressure until the pace of redemptions abates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

“If the conflict abates by Monday sundown, coinciding with the start of the Jewish holiday Purim, the oil price spike could prove short-lived,” Kaneva wrote.

From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 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

“All alike say ‘Have no convention at this crisis!’...‘Wait until the war excitement abates.’

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Once the rain abated, the field did two laps behind a safety car to check conditions before racing began with a standing start.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

I’m referring to buying stocks that are beaten down by tax-loss selling in the last quarter of the year, which far more often than not rebound in January after that selling has abated.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

Thanks to rent forgiveness and government help, their businesses survived, and when the pandemic abated, business began to pick up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026

Last year, worries about the deficit abated somewhat as tariff revenue surged.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

At which point the revelry mixed with meanness abated and King Walker handed Milkman his Winchester .22.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

“The Fed can credibly argue that labor cost pressures are abating, reducing urgency for additional hikes,” said Chris Osmond, chief investment officer of Fifth Third Wealth Advisors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Amid concerns over how officials are pursuing suspects, broader worries about wildfires are far from abating.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Key details: Health-care 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

Samsung shares have rallied 150% so far this year with Korea’s army of retail investors speculating on further gains as the supply=demand imbalance in memory chips shows no sign of abating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

He saw that he had a donor he could trust, maybe a WL who could be educated about the real challenges of abating poverty.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

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Related Words

• decrease
• diminish
• dwindle
• ebb
• recede
• slacken
• subside
• taper
• wane

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