abolish
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Related Words
Abolish, eradicate, stamp out mean to do away completely with something. To abolish is to cause to cease, often by a summary order: to abolish a requirement. Stamp out implies forcibly making an end to something considered undesirable or harmful: to stamp out the opium traffic. Eradicate (literally, to tear out by the roots ), a formal word, suggests extirpation, leaving no vestige or trace: to eradicate all use of child labor.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of abolish
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French aboliss-, long stem of abolir, from Latin abolēre “to destroy, efface”
Explanation
To abolish is to get rid of or annul. So when the principal yells at you for the 100th time for not having your shirt tucked in, it's safe to wish they'd just abolish the silly dress code. The word abolish might stir up some historical connotations, since in the U.S. it's commonly associated with bringing an end to slavery. In fact, those who opposed slavery were called "abolitionists." The word comes to us from the Latin word abolere, meaning "to destroy or cause to die out." These days abolish is used to bring a final and official-sounding end to laws, codes, and unsavory practices.
Vocabulary lists containing abolish
The Declaration of Independence
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List 1
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Life Is So Good
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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.
"It is obvious that trust is eroding, both inside and outside the NPT," Seth Shelden of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, told AFP.
From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026
Leigh LaChapelle, an associate director at the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, said Becerra Moran’s case was a reminder of why police are not the answer to helping trafficking survivors.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2025
Activist Jamie Moyes, who campaigns with the group Abolish Salmon Farming, said the incident was "nothing new" and locals see blood in the river "all the time".
From BBC • Sep. 30, 2024
A billboard mounted on the museum’s west facade lists a series of words, including Amend, Abolish, Redress, Repair, Unionize — actions that activists say need to be done to address racial disparities.
From New York Times • Nov. 3, 2022
Abolish the apostrophe and it will be necessary, before the hour is up, to reinvent it.
From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author
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.
