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

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)

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

Their concerns were disregarded, prompting most to resign.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

Understanding what was about to happen, her opponent had little choice but to extend her hand and resign.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Infantino has faced calls to resign and was also subject to allegations from a British newspaper on Friday that he paid off a lover while at European governing body UEFA.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

The Fifa head has faced multiple calls to resign after his highly controversial attempt to sell private stakes in the World Cup, which he later abandoned.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

To assume that we must resign ourselves to turning our waterways into rivers of death is to follow the counsel of despair and defeatism.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

The protesters said they would stay in the streets until Rama resigns.

From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026

But when he suddenly dies and the family’s estate, Longbourn, passes to another male relative, Mary resigns herself to a life sentence beside a mother who can barely stand her.

From Salon ● May 20, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

Flavius badly wants to use his own trademark purple lipstick on me but resigns himself to a pink as they begin to color my face and nails.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

Mr. Warsh resigned as a Fed governor in 2011, partially in protest over the Fed’s second round of quantitative easing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

He resigned in July, despite facing threats from Reiner’s probate attorney that she would sue him if he quit the job, according to court records.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

El Camino Real’s acclaimed softball program lost its coach, Jodie Borenstein, in 2024 after she resigned.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

Arday resigned as a Cambridge professor of sociology of education last week after allegations of plagiarism and questions about some of his achievements.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Flushed and sweating, they were also resigned to the fact that there was no escaping an odor of meat and vegetables, which was wafting through the windows from the market stalls outside.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

Arday announced on August 5 that he was resigning from both his university post as a professor and as a fellow of Jesus College, shortly after they announced probes into the various accusations.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Carvalho ultimately relinquished his right to severance by resigning — while avoiding the possibility of dismissal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

The final option would be Infantino simply resigning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

Keegan then stunned Tyneside on 8 January 1997 by resigning, saying in a short statement: "I feel I have taken the club as far as I can."

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

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

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss