abate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to reduce in amount, degree, intensity, etc.; lessen; diminish: to abate one's enthusiasm.
to abate a tax;
to abate one's enthusiasm.
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Law.
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to put an end to or suppress (a nuisance).
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to suspend or extinguish (an action).
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to annul (a writ).
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to deduct or subtract.
to abate part of the cost.
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to omit.
to abate all mention of names.
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to remove, as in stone carving, or hammer down, as in metalwork, (a portion of a surface) in order to produce a figure or pattern in low relief.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to make or become less in amount, intensity, degree, etc
the storm has abated
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(tr) law
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to remove, suppress, or terminate (a nuisance)
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to suspend or extinguish (a claim or action)
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to annul (a writ)
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(intr) law (of a writ, legal action, etc) to become null and void
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(tr) to subtract or deduct, as part of a price
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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abatesimple
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abatessimple
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have abatedperfect
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has abatedperfect
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am abatingprogressive
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are abatingprogressive
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is abatingprogressive
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have been abatingperfect progressive
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has been abatingperfect progressive
Past
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abatedsimple
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had abatedperfect
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was abatingprogressive
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were abatingprogressive
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had been abatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of abate
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French abatre “to beat down,” equivalent to a- a- 5 + batre, from Late Latin batere for Latin battuere “to beat”; a- perhaps also understood as a- 3
Explanation
Something that abates becomes fewer or less intense. Your enthusiasm for skiing might abate after falling off a ski lift and getting a mouthful of snow. Abate comes from the Old French verb abattre, "to beat down," and means to reduce or become less intense or numerous. As an intransitive verb, it is often used with something physically, emotionally, or figuratively violent, as in "the flood of fan mail began to abate." Using it transitively, if you take measures to abate pollution or noise, you reduce them. Pronounce abate with the stress on the second syllable (uh-BATE).
Vocabulary lists containing abate
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Hatchet
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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:
The positive side: several indicators show the selling in Big Tech is likely to abate soon.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
Richard Moody, chief economist at Regions Financial Corp., thinks Warsh could start to lay out the case for a resumption of interest-rate cuts once inflation pressures have begun to abate.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 14, 2026
They accused the oil companies of creating a public nuisance by altering the environment and leaving the county to pay to abate growing hazards such as the flooding that tests roads and bridges.
From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2026
And the pressure in the pipeline isn’t about to abate.
From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026
It took several seconds for the ringing in Ekon’s ears to abate.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
“If the conflict abates by Monday sundown, coinciding with the start of the Jewish holiday Purim, the oil price spike could prove short-lived,” Kaneva wrote.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
Many economists expect stronger economic growth next year, especially if anxiety about fast-changing tariffs abates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
Then, in the depths of a recession, debts are settled, panic abates, green shoots appear, and banks begin lending more easily again — fueling a recovery that enables a new upswing.
From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
Even if the rain abates, old asphalt is notoriously difficult to dry because of weepers — the moisture that collects under the surface and then seeps through the cracks after a rainfall.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 25, 2023
Salvage teams have been notified and will locate and sink the container when the storm abates.
From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin
“We were rightly skeptical about this so-called Sell America trade. As tariff concerns eased and recession fears abated, the debasement narrative lost momentum,” Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Research, said in commentary shared with MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 28, 2026
“As tariff concerns eased and recession fears abated, the debasement narrative lost momentum,” he added.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
But when the truce was announced last week and the fighting largely abated, it triggered a trickle of returnees on Wednesday; not much, but “enough to hold a ceremony,” Sadeq said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
Last year, worries about the deficit abated somewhat as tariff revenue surged.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
Something should have happened at that point: the fire should have abated.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
While the wildfires show no sign of abating soon, the UK Foreign Office is currently not advising against travel to France or Spain.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
The war in the Middle East — the most recent, and most severe, energy jolt — is showing no signs of abating.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
Samsung shares have rallied 150% so far this year with Korea’s army of retail investors speculating on further gains as the supply=demand imbalance in memory chips shows no sign of abating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Interest in options is at the highest level in market history with no signs of abating.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
Wind abating; seas still terrific, but feel them less, as ship is steadier.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
