abdicate
Americanverb (used without object)
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abdicates,
present (3rd person singular)
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abdicated,
past participle, past
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abdicating
present participle
verb (used with object)
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abdicates,
present (3rd person singular)
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abdicated,
past participle, past
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abdicating
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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abdicationnoun
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abdicatornoun
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abdicableadjective
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abdicativeadjective
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nonabdicativeadjective
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unabdicatedadjective
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unabdicatingadjective
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unabdicativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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abdicatesimple
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abdicatessimple
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have abdicatedperfect
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has abdicatedperfect
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am abdicatingprogressive
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are abdicatingprogressive
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is abdicatingprogressive
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have been abdicatingperfect progressive
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has been abdicatingperfect progressive
Past
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abdicatedsimple
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had abdicatedperfect
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was abdicatingprogressive
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were abdicatingprogressive
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had been abdicatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of abdicate
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin abdicāt(us) “renounced,” past participle of abdicāre “to renounce,” from ab- ab- + dicāre “to indicate, consecrate”
Explanation
Sometimes someone in power might decide to give up that power and step down from his or her position. When they do that, they abdicate their authority, giving up all duties and perks of the job. The original meaning of the verb abdicate came from the combination of the Latin ab- "away" and dicare "proclaim." (Note that in the charming relationships between languages with common roots, the Spanish word for "he says" is dice, which comes directly from dicare.) The word came to refer to disowning one's children, and it wasn't until the 17th century that the first use of the word relating to giving up power or public office was recorded.
Vocabulary lists containing abdicate
The Declaration of Independence
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100 Top "SAT" Words
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You Can Say That Again: Dic and Dict
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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:
Any coach who says “I don’t want to know” where a transfer lives to escape accountability might want to start realizing an entire program can go down when they abdicate responsibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
It is that we will allow the creators of the software to abdicate human responsibility for the systems they choose to build and help them pull up the ladder to market access behind them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
In 2006, when a popular uprising forced the king to abdicate, Thapa was already a prominent figure in the pro-democracy movement and had been jailed several times for his role in street protests.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
Yet sometimes miracles happen, and Senates don’t entirely abdicate their constitutional advice and consent roles.
From Slate ● Oct. 4, 2025
Christina had been forced to abdicate in 1654, having become a Catholic, and was also living in exile in Rome.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
It may serve his interests by distracting and deflecting but abdicates presidential responsibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2025
There's a lot of speculation over who might take over in her stead as Lakshmi abdicates her throne.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2023
Better because it abdicates the throne of “is.”
From Slate ● May 14, 2019
Japan's Emperor Akihito formally abdicates the throne at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo today.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 30, 2019
It is often misled—sometimes, in superstitious fear, it abdicates.
From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 6 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Discussions by Robert Green Ingersoll
Congress has abdicated many roles to the executive branch, but the Senate continues to guard closely its constitutional power of advise and consent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 10, 2025
Juan Carlos abdicated later in 2014, handing the throne to Felipe.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2025
Ayad Akhtar’s “McNeal,” which had its premiere last year at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater in a production starring Robert Downey Jr., failed precisely because it abdicated this responsibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025
In recent years of flourishing disinformation ecosystems and broken social contracts, satirical journalism has taken up more than a bit of the work abdicated by legitimate outlets.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2025
“You’ve just come from Erhenrang; what are they saying there about these rumors that Argaven has in fact abdicated without announcement, handed the sledge over to his cousin?”
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
It is “unfair to say the court is abdicating its authority,” said the ex-prosecutor, who also requested anonymity to speak candidly about the district’s judges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2026
“If that’s true, what would prohibit Congress from just abdicating all responsibility to regulate foreign commerce—for that matter, declare war—to the president?”
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2025
Critics suggest police are abdicating decision-making about women's safety to an algorithm.
From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2025
"She is abdicating her duty, and this is something that she needs to decide, not a jury. It's a question of law, not a question of fact."
From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2024
He wanted to lie down in this redolent field, curl up in the green womb in the dazzling aura of these mountains, growing warm and drowsy under the sun, abdicating all responsibilities—and sleep.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
