renounce
Americanverb (used with object)
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renounces,
present (3rd person singular)
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renounced,
past participle, past
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renouncing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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renounces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
renounced,
past participle, past
-
renouncing
present participle
noun
verb
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(tr) to give up (a claim or right), esp by formal announcement
to renounce a title
-
(tr) to repudiate
to renounce Christianity
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(tr) to give up (some habit, pursuit, etc) voluntarily
to renounce smoking
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(intr) cards to fail to follow suit because one has no cards of the suit led
noun
Synonym Usage
See abandon.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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renouncementnoun
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renouncernoun
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self-renouncementnoun
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nonrenouncingadjective
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renounceableadjective
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renunciableadjective
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self-renouncedadjective
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self-renouncingadjective
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unrenounceableadjective
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unrenouncedadjective
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unrenouncingadjective
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unrenunciableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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renouncesimple
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renouncessimple
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have renouncedperfect
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has renouncedperfect
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am renouncingprogressive
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are renouncingprogressive
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is renouncingprogressive
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have been renouncingperfect progressive
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has been renouncingperfect progressive
Past
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renouncedsimple
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had renouncedperfect
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was renouncingprogressive
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were renouncingprogressive
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had been renouncingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of renounce
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English renouncen, from Middle French renoncer, from Latin renūntiāre “to bring back word, disclaim,” equivalent to re- re- + nūntiāre “to announce,” derivative of nūntius “messenger, news”
Explanation
To renounce is to officially give up or turn away from. If you decide to become a vegetarian, you will renounce hamburgers and bacon. The transitive verb renounce is a stronger, more formal way of saying that you reject or disown something. A prince who's tired of the royal life could renounce his title and become a commoner, and a senator who wanted to become an independent would have to renounce her ties to her previous political party. You'd be wise to heed the wisdom of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who said: “To renounce liberty is to renounce being a man, to surrender the rights of humanity and even its duties.”
Vocabulary lists containing renounce
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Ender's Game
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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:
"Along with our vow to renounce war, I reaffirmed our determination to continue fulfilling our responsibility to uphold Japan's postwar path as a peaceful nation," he added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
At present, players of Indian origin holding foreign passports must renounce that to represent the country.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
Draining a few isn’t enough to make them renounce their loyalty to his congregation, known as the Beautiful Unwell.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
“We have decided to renounce offshore wind development in the United States,” said CEO Patrick Pouyanné.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026
They went to Azkaban rather than renounce me.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
Japan's constitution renounces offensive military force, and successive governments have maintained a decades-old pledge not to possess nuclear weapons, produce them or permit their introduction into the country.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
A disclaimer is a legal document in which someone renounces an asset that was set to be inherited.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
When Elisabeta is killed, he renounces God and sets off on his quest for his love.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
After World War Two, the US-occupied Japan adopted a constitution which says the country renounces war and the use of force to settle international disputes.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2024
The remaining two-thirds disappear from the sight of the State, which henceforth renounces all responsibility for their supervision.
From Boy Labour and Apprenticeship by Reginald Arthur Bray
Hilton became a U.S. citizen in 2021 and last year renounced his British citizenship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
The chairman has renounced providing the type of verbal cues his predecessors used to shape investors’ thinking about upcoming rate moves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Piker later renounced the statement, saying it was wrong, but the fact that he said it once still continues to be brought up, again and again, in El-Sayed’s race.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
There have been eight female emperors on the Chrysanthemum Throne in Japan's imperial family, whose divine status was renounced after World War II.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Maybe they were finally beginning to realize she was her own person, with a divergent, more modern belief system that renounced the patriarchal dynamics of their time—
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
For the right person, renouncing citizenship can be a prudent decision.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
At a White House summit in August 2025, Trump brokered an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan that saw the two countries commit to renouncing claims on each other's territory and refrain from using force.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
In 2020, she ran for president, renouncing her anti-LGBTQ views and apologizing for her earlier stance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
By week’s end he had withdrawn the threats, without formally renouncing the goal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 24, 2026
But Zell continued to open up until Bull, renouncing his role of confessor, insisted that he had to get to work.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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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.
