abdicate
verb (used without object)
to renounce or relinquish a throne, right, power, claim, responsibility, or the like, especially in a formal manner.
abdicated
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past participleof abdicate.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof abdicate.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
abdicateverb (used without object)to renounce or relinquish a throne, right, power, claim, responsibility, or the like, especially in a formal manner.
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.
Albert II abdicated as king of the Belgians in 2013 as the paternity issue became a royal scandal.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
There is something quietly ironic about expecting municipal leaders to serve as democratic guardrails when we have collectively abdicated our own responsibility in even the simplest level of civic participation.
From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2026
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
In the video, Juan Carlos also urged Spain to support his son Felipe VI, in whose favour he abdicated in 2014, "in this difficult task of uniting all Spaniards".
From Barron's ● Dec. 1, 2025
Father told me he has been expecting this to happen ever since June, when Ismail Pasha, the khedive of Egypt, abdicated the throne and his son Mehmet Tewfik Pasha became the new khedive.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
