resign

American  

[ri-zahyn] / rɪˈzaɪn /

verb (used without object)

• resigns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• resigned,
  past participle,  past
• resigning
  present participle

1. to give up an office or position, often formally (often followed byfrom ).

   to resign from the presidency.

   Synonyms:

   withdraw

2. to submit; yield.

   to resign before the inevitable.

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verb (used with object)

• resigns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• resigned,
  past participle,  past
• resigning
  present participle

1. to give up (an office, position, etc.), often formally.

   Synonyms:

   leave, quit, renounce, abdicate

2. to relinquish (a right, claim, agreement, etc.).

   Synonyms:

   cede, surrender, give up, forgo

3. to give or sign over, as to the control or care of another.

   She resigned her child to an adoption agency.

4. to submit (oneself, one's mind, etc.) without resistance.

resign British  

/ rɪˈzaɪn /

verb

1. to give up tenure of (a job, office, etc)

2. (tr) to reconcile (oneself) to; yield

   to resign oneself to death

3. (tr) to give up (a right, claim, etc); relinquish

   he resigned his claim to the throne

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Usage

What does resign mean? Resign most commonly means to give up one’s job or position. When used this way, resign can be used without an object, as in He resigned yesterday, or with one, as in She is expected to resign her position. In its general sense, resign means to yield or submit, as in When he knew he couldn’t possibly win the match, he decided to resign. Example: They say he resigned on his own, but I think he was forced out.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• resigner
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• resigning
  present
• resigned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• resign
  simple
• resigns
  simple
• have resigned
  perfect
• has resigned
  perfect
• am resigning
  progressive
• are resigning
  progressive
• is resigning
  progressive
• have been resigning
  perfect progressive
• has been resigning
  perfect progressive

Past

• resigned
  simple
• had resigned
  perfect
• was resigning
  progressive
• were resigning
  progressive
• had been resigning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will resign
  simple
• will have resigned
  perfect
• will be resigning
  progressive
• will have been resigning
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of resign

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English resignen, from Middle French resigner, from Latin resignāre “to open, release, cancel,” literally, “to seal back,” from re- re- + signāre “to mark, seal” ( see sign)

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Explanation

To resign is to quit or retire from a position. You can also resign yourself to something inevitable, like death — meaning you just accept that it's going to happen. When people resign, they're leaving something, like a job or political office. Congressmen resign after a scandal. Coaches resign after a really terrible season. Regular folks simply resign when they're ready to go. In those cases, resign is a nicer way of saying quit. Being resigned is another sense of this word — it's a type of acceptance. If your team is losing 80-20, you might as well resign yourself to losing. That just means you aren't in denial.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

resign resigns resigned resigning

ITV has reported that on Monday evening he had "mutually agreed" to resign from Reform UK, citing "personal reasons," and would be continuing as an independent councillor.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

The answer to this inquiry would be because leaders of his own party informed Nixon that he would be removed from office if he didn’t resign.

From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026

Then again, the silliest thing our species could do is resign ourselves to disaster.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

The crisis has fuelled speculation that Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek was preparing to resign, though he dismissed the rumours as "baseless".

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

Doing otherwise would have been like failing to resign after losing a major piece in a chess tournament—a social irritant, a waste of time and resources.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

A senior adviser to Infantino, Carlos Cordeiro, resigns citing "a bad deal for football" that would "mortgage football's future".

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke welcomed Wangchuk's decision to end his hunger strike but said the movement would press ahead with its campaign until the education minister resigns.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

If the sitting governor dies, resigns or is removed from office, the lieutenant governor would assume the role.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

By the time someone resigns, the real conversation is already six months overdue.

From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026

She decides one last case before she resigns as a judge for the People’s Court.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

The worker joined the council in July 2023 before she resigned in June 2024.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Joe diGenova resigned as a supervisor of the probe, saying department officials pressured the team to bring criminal cases before they were ready.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Before that, Zacharia worked as a deputy assistant secretary of Homeland Security for Public Affairs, starting in February 2026, but resigned just weeks later in March.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

Cruise’s ambition is moot if he’s otherwise resigned himself to crowd-pleasers, making his occasional enterprising choices look even more daring.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

Ma resigned, Grandpa stoic, clasping the family Bible.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Good's death also prompted turmoil inside the Justice Department after federal prosecutors in Minneapolis were prevented from investigating the agents involved, with several resigning in protest.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Atherton considered resigning, but escaped with a fine and remained captain for another four years.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

Gay was president for six months, the shortest stretch in the institution’s history, before resigning at the start of 2024.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

But the Fair Games Coalition claims she responded to their requests to meet and discuss their concerns by resigning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

“Very well,” Mola said, as if resigning herself.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

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