abstain
Americanverb (used without object)
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
-
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:
Ken Skates, interim Labour leader after Eluned Morgan lost her seat, has indicated that his group will abstain, as will sole Liberal Democrat MS Jane Dodds.
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
It was to protect worshippers that Israel had asked people of all faiths to "temporarily abstain" from worshipping at all the holy sites in Jerusalem's Old City, he added.
From Barron's ● Mar. 29, 2026
European diplomats said it had been unclear until shortly before the vote whether Washington would again abstain or oppose it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
“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
But I have jus enough sense left to abstain.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
“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
If not, the foreign country abstains from submitting a formal re-export request, and no diplomatic harm is done.
From Reuters ● Jan. 23, 2023
Mr Omipidan, on the other hand, abstains from providing commentary on the stories he posts.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2020
As they say goodbye, Smith abstains from the fist bump that he and David have always shared.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 22, 2020
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
As an MP in 2015, Burnham abstained on another effort to legalise assisted dying.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
While they released the letter spelling out their dissent, the Fed clarified that Bowman had abstained from the vote.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
It was adopted by 123 votes to three, with the UK among the countries that abstained.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026
Supervisor Kathryn Barger abstained from the vote, arguing the county could not address the death rate without building a new facility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026
Apparently the protections of the treaty were quite strong for those who totally abstained from magic and mischief.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
In his view, they can "bring young people back to politics", especially those particularly prone to abstaining from voting.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 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
Although she did not agree a deal for the new budget Jane Dodds, the Welsh Liberal Democrat leader and the party's only MS, said she would also be abstaining on the budget.
From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2026
A vote in October failed to pass by a 25-24 margin with six guides abstaining.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025
I remember reading about Pythagoras around this time, and finding some of his ideas curiously appealing—wearing white garments, for instance, or abstaining from foods which have a soul.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
