abstain
Americanverb (used without object)
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abstains,
present (3rd person singular)
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abstained,
past participle, past
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abstaining
present participle
verb
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to choose to refrain
he abstained from alcohol
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to refrain from voting, esp in a committee, legislature, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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abstainsimple
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abstainssimple
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have abstainedperfect
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has abstainedperfect
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am abstainingprogressive
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are abstainingprogressive
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is abstainingprogressive
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have been abstainingperfect progressive
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has been abstainingperfect progressive
Past
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abstainedsimple
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had abstainedperfect
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was abstainingprogressive
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were abstainingprogressive
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had been abstainingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
If you abstain from something, you restrain yourself from consuming it. People usually abstain from things that are considered vices — like eating French fries every day for lunch. Roots of the word abstain are from the 14th-century French, "to withhold oneself," and the word often refers to people who hold themselves back from indulging in habits that are bad for them, physically or morally. Abstain can also mean to withhold a vote, and sometimes a difficult decision is stalled when government representatives abstain from voting one way or another.
Vocabulary lists containing abstain
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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100 Top "SAT" Words
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Electoral Elocution: The Verbiage of Voting
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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:
"We must intensify efforts to help people quit tobacco use, avoid cancer-linked infections, abstain from alcohol, maintain a healthy weight, and get more daily exercise."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
Mayra Goulart, political science professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, told AFP the main challenge for Lula and Flavio will be to reach "disengaged voters" who are highly likely to abstain.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Such “orphaned” voters — those left without a candidate of their party in a general election — are historically just as likely to abstain from voting or to vote based on far less strategic considerations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández issued a statement calling on Catholics around the world to abstain from attending Mass with the group.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
The couple had made few friends during their time in the state, making it easier to abstain from the life of town.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Even if Warsh abstains again, the other 18 senior Fed members are all expected to submit their own dots.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Their motion could be successful if at least one Labour Senedd member either rebels, abstains or does not take part.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2024
“It’s hard. There aren’t enough places,” Archiopoli said, noting that Seattle has a growing segment of population that abstains from alcohol or drugs.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2023
"But the truth is we know relatively little from this 50%, from this half of the population that abstains from electoral processes."
From Reuters ● Sep. 2, 2022
I don’t know if the hose were clean, but I do notice that everyone on the show abstains from drinking lemonade that day.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
During his first stint as an MP, Burnham abstained from a 2015 vote on another bill to legalise assisted dying because of concerns over safeguards and people feeling under pressure.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
Aimed at "a more accurate representation" of continental landmasses, the resolution was supported by 164 countries while the United States voted against it and six other states abstained.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Supervisors Kathryn Barger, Janice Hahn and Holly Mitchell abstained from voting on the motion to extend the protection, while Supervisors Hilda Solis and Horvath supported it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
On 7 April, Pakistan abstained from a UN Security Council resolution urging states to coordinate efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
She could have made an inquiry or two, as to the expedition and the expense of the Irish mails;—it was at her tongue’s end—but she abstained.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong said in an order granting a preliminary injunction that the government “is regularly abstaining from conducting a likelihood of escape analysis at all” when making arrests without a warrant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
After five years of abstaining, a giant chip maker has returned to the bond market.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
In 2020, Milan Township passed an ordinance that would allow the project to go forward, with Heath’s brother, the township supervisor, abstaining.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2026
Senedd members voted to bring in the ban by 39 votes to 10, with two MSs abstaining.
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2026
Even when Ramadan arrived during the season and I had to play volleyball and fence while fasting from sunrise to sunset, abstaining from food and water, I still didn’t want to quit.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
