relinquish
Americanverb (used with object)
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relinquishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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relinquished,
past participle, past
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relinquishing
present participle
verb
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to give up (a task, struggle, etc); abandon
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to surrender or renounce (a claim, right, etc)
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to release; let go
Synonym Usage
See abandon.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonrelinquishmentnoun
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relinquishernoun
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relinquishmentnoun
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unrelinquishedadjective
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unrelinquishingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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relinquishsimple
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relinquishessimple
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have relinquishedperfect
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has relinquishedperfect
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am relinquishingprogressive
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are relinquishingprogressive
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is relinquishingprogressive
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have been relinquishingperfect progressive
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has been relinquishingperfect progressive
Past
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relinquishedsimple
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had relinquishedperfect
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was relinquishingprogressive
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were relinquishingprogressive
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had been relinquishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of relinquish
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English relinquissen, relinquisshen, from Middle French relinquiss-, long stem of relinquir ≪ Latin relinquere “to leave behind,” equivalent to re- re- + linquere “to leave” (akin to lend )
Explanation
If you relinquish something, you let it go. You relinquish control of the army when you resign as general. You relinquish your plan to sneak into town when your parents find out what's going on. Relinquish is also commonly used to mean physically letting go of something: The monkey wouldn't relinquish its grasp on the banana. Relinquish descends from Latin relinquere, from the prefix re-, "again" plus linquere, "to leave."
Vocabulary lists containing relinquish
The Declaration of Independence
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The Giver
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 4
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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 said it was unlikely that these key figures would relinquish their direct influence over militias loyal to them and remain satisfied with their formal positions alone.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Bauers delivered the knockout blow in Milwaukee’s 6-2 victory on Wednesday, smashing a go-ahead, two-run home run off ace Blake Snell to give the Brewers a lead they would never relinquish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
You have to relinquish your id and allow the thing to be the thing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Shehu and numerous land claimants have traded victories in various trials and appeals, none of which forced Shehu to relinquish the land.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
They could exert control, or relinquish it to their own unconscious minds.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
He also said that the Board of Peace intends to take possession of Hamas’ weapons when it relinquishes them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
If an individual voluntarily relinquishes all future Social Security retirement benefits, why shouldn’t they be allowed to assume that risk themselves?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
The revised law offers greater guarantees to private players, relinquishes state control of exploration, and lowers taxes and royalties.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
More likely the U.S. aims to signal to Mr. Maduro that his life expectancy will improve if he relinquishes power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025
She relinquishes my arm and lifts my chin.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
The site is currently taking in 20 to 30 horses a month, and the charity across the UK saying it has seen a "160% surge in relinquished horses in recent years".
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
The pair married in a glitzy wedding in 2018 but two years later relinquished their role as working royals after a feud with the British royals and moved to North America.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
The Buss family’s grip on the NBA’s glamor franchise loosened in 2025 when they relinquished their majority share to Mark Walter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
U.S. natural gas futures relinquished intraday gains and settled fractionally lower despite a 32 Bcf weekly inventory build that landed at the low end of market estimates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Margaret Kochamma’s tiny, ordered life relinquished itself to this truly baroque bedlam with the quiet gasp of a warm body entering a chilly sea.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
A common misconception is that moving abroad requires relinquishing your U.S. citizenship and passport.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Lilly Cassirer Neubauer escaped Germany at the dawn of World War II by relinquishing to a Nazi art broker the exquisite impressionist masterpiece “Rue Saint-Honoré in the Afternoon. Effect of Rain,” by Camille Pissarro.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Washington, meanwhile, famously made relinquishing power part of his own legacy.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Infantino has, so far, shown no indication he is considering relinquishing his position.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
None of them wanted—not then—the grape’s easy relinquishing of all its dark juice.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
