renounce

American  

[ri-nouns] / rɪˈnaʊns /

verb (used with object)

renounced, renouncing

1. to give up or put aside voluntarily.

   to renounce worldly pleasures.

   Synonyms:

   quit, leave, forswear, forgo, forsake

   Antonyms:

   claim

2. to give up by formal declaration.

   to renounce a claim.

   Synonyms:

   abdicate, resign

3. to repudiate; disown.

   to renounce one's son.

   Synonyms:

   deny, disavow, reject, disclaim

   Antonyms:

   accept

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verb (used without object)

renounced, renouncing

1. Cards.

   1. to play a card of a different suit from that led.

   2. to abandon or give up a suit led.

   3. to fail to follow the suit led.

noun

1. Cards. an act or instance of renouncing.

renounce British  

/ rɪˈnaʊns /

verb

1. (tr) to give up (a claim or right), esp by formal announcement

   to renounce a title

2. (tr) to repudiate

   to renounce Christianity

3. (tr) to give up (some habit, pursuit, etc) voluntarily

   to renounce smoking

4. (intr) cards to fail to follow suit because one has no cards of the suit led

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noun

1. rare a failure to follow suit in a card game

Related Words

See abandon.

Other Word Forms

• nonrenouncing adjective
• renounceable adjective
• renouncement noun
• renouncer noun
• renunciable adjective
• self-renounced adjective
• self-renouncement noun
• self-renouncing adjective
• unrenounceable adjective
• unrenounced adjective
• unrenouncing adjective
• unrenunciable adjective

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”

Example Sentences

It would appear, in a world where someone can divorce and remarry, switch political allegiance or renounce a religious faith, ending a relationship with a football club is largely unheard of.

From BBC

Germany renounced all claims to the city and its surrounds in 1990 as a price for German reunification.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We have decided to renounce offshore wind development in the United States,” said CEO Patrick Pouyanné.

From The Wall Street Journal

It will refuse to renounce the right to enrich uranium, as it did before, having proven it can survive.

From MarketWatch

The U.S. government has a monthslong backlog of Americans asking to renounce their citizenship, either to secure a foreign passport or to avoid taxation of their earnings abroad.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• deny
• disavow
• discard
• disown
• eschew
• forgo
• forsake
• forswear
• give up
• quit
• recant
• relinquish
• repudiate
• spurn
• waive