abstain
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
-
to choose to refrain
he abstained from alcohol
-
to refrain from voting, esp in a committee, legislature, etc
Other Word Forms
- abstainer noun
- nonabstaining adjective
- overabstain verb (used without object)
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
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.
“Arbitrators aren’t elected, they’re not required to weigh countywide trade-offs like homeless services, healthcare, capital improvements, all of those things,” said Supervisor Holly Mitchell, the only supervisor to abstain from the vote.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026
It has been speculated that Scottish Labour could abstain - which would ensure that the Budget bill passed - after leader Anas Sarwar said his MSPs would not make the Budget fall.
From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026
The basics of a no-spend—or low-spend, depending on your personal definition—challenge are just that: for a predetermined period of time, you abstain from nonessential purchases.
From Salon • Jan. 11, 2026
"I think it is more likely that China and Russia will abstain, register their skepticism about the plan and then sit back and watch the US struggle to put it into action," Gowan said.
From Barron's • Nov. 17, 2025
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
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.
