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:
To pay my respect, I ate not only for myself but my whole family, whose allergies and aversions led them to abstain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Some said they plan to abstain; others said they’ll hold their nose and vote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
"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
Marra came to a deal with Sarwar – he was allowed to abstain.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
But I have jus enough sense left to abstain.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
He, too, said he abstains from getting involved due to the damage illegal mining does to the land, especially as a result of the chemicals used for extracting gold.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Even if Warsh abstains again, the other 18 senior Fed members are all expected to submit their own dots.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Mr Omipidan, on the other hand, abstains from providing commentary on the stories he posts.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2020
Like Trump, the former vice president has pointed to alcoholism in his family in explaining why he abstains.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 10, 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
Botelho said Lula will attempt to rally those who cast blank votes, and the 33 million who abstained -- representing 21 percent of registered voters.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
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
Norway's football federation abstained and argued the bidding process undermined "Fifa's reforms for good governance" and challenged "trust in Fifa".
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
“I abstained because I did not see sufficient evidence to justify extending this emergency ordinance, nor did I see evidence to eliminate it entirely,” Hahn said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 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
Some Americans are abstaining for health and wellness reasons, others because of cost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
After five years of abstaining, a giant chip maker has returned to the bond market.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
Could anyone really be blamed for wanting to avoid even more pain and heartbreak by abstaining from dating altogether?
From Salon ● Dec. 17, 2025
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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
