abate

American  

[uh-beyt] / əˈbeɪt /

verb (used with object)

abated, abating

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)

abated, abating

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

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

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).

Example Sentences

Carlo Maria Abate used this car to win the 1960 Coppa D’Oro at Monza.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

They said Abate was still enlisted in the Marine Corps as of Sept. 1.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 11, 2023

Prosecutors recommended short terms of incarceration - 30 days for Coomer and 21 days for Hellonen and Abate - along with 60 hours of community service.

From Washington Times • Sep. 11, 2023

“Bit by bit," Abate said, "there’s going to be these pathways for accountability for the continued use of fossil fuels.”

From Scientific American • Jun. 23, 2023

When again put under oath, she responded: While I was in Arezzo, I wrote at the instance of my husband to Abate Franceschini, my brother-in-law here in Rome.

From The Old Yellow Book Source of Robert Browning's The Ring and the Book by Anonymous

Related Words

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