abstain

[ab-steyn]

See more synonyms for abstain on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to hold oneself back voluntarily, especially from something regarded as improper or unhealthy (usually followed by from): to abstain from eating meat.
to refrain from casting one's vote: a referendum in which two delegates abstained.

Origin of abstain

1350–1400; Middle English abste(i)nen < Middle French abstenir ≪ Latin abstinēre, equivalent to abs- abs- + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre to hold, keep

Related formsnon·ab·stain·ing, adjectiveo·ver·ab·stain, verb (used without object)

Synonyms for abstain

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. forbear; desist, cease.

Antonyms for abstain

1. indulge.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for abstain

quit, renounce, refrain, withhold, forgo, cease, shun, forbear, decline, refuse, spurn, avoid, eschew, stop, fast, abjure, curb, evade, pass, constrain

Examples from the Web for abstain

Contemporary Examples of abstain

In fact, I publicly vowed to abstain from The Ball in 2012, but professional responsibilities and curiosity got the better of me.
The Craziest Date Night for Single Jews, Where Mistletoe Is Ditched for Shots
Emily Shire
December 26, 2014
But the two also could abstain from caucusing with either party and possibly have even more clout.
The Independents Who Could Tip the Senate in November
Linda Killian
October 13, 2014
So is everyone around you, even if you find a way to abstain.
Keep Our Wilderness Off Of Wi-Fi
Michael Schulson
September 3, 2014
Pollsters have been predicting disillusioned leftist voters are particularly likely to abstain.
Sarkozy’s Surveillance Scandal
Tracy McNicoll
March 22, 2014
Some especially well-bred people among us might be noble enough in spirit and possessions to abstain from this temptation.
The Next President Won’t Save Us
James Poulos
December 18, 2013

Historical Examples of abstain

Merely to abstain from definition was like a load taken off my mind.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
I told him that he might abstain in future from such a mockery of love.
A Comedy of Marriage and Other Tales
Guy De Maupassant
Then we must abstain from spoiling the dead or hindering their burial?
The Republic
Plato
I do not include Socrates, who is able either to drink or to abstain, and will not mind, whichever we do.
Symposium
Plato
Or would you abstain from using the potion altogether, although you have no reason for abstaining?'
Laws
Plato

British Dictionary definitions for abstain

abstain

verb (intr usually foll by from)

to choose to refrainhe abstained from alcohol
to refrain from voting, esp in a committee, legislature, etc

Derived Formsabstainer, noun

Word Origin for abstain

C14: via Old French from Latin abstinēre, from abs- ab- 1 + tenēre to hold, keep

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for abstain

late 14c., "to withhold oneself," from Old French abstenir (14c.), earlier astenir (13c.) "hold (oneself) back, refrain, abstain (from), practice abstinence," from Latin abstinere "withhold, keep back, keep off," from ab(s)- "from, away from" (see ab-) + tenere "to hold" (see tenet). Specifically of liquor, attested from late 14c. Of voting, 1796. Related: Abstained; abstaining.