relinquish
Americanverb (used with object)
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relinquishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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relinquished,
past participle, past
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relinquishing
present participle
verb
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to give up (a task, struggle, etc); abandon
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to surrender or renounce (a claim, right, etc)
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to release; let go
Synonym Usage
See abandon.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonrelinquishmentnoun
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relinquishernoun
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relinquishmentnoun
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unrelinquishedadjective
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unrelinquishingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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relinquishsimple
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relinquishessimple
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have relinquishedperfect
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has relinquishedperfect
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am relinquishingprogressive
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are relinquishingprogressive
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is relinquishingprogressive
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have been relinquishingperfect progressive
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has been relinquishingperfect progressive
Past
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relinquishedsimple
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had relinquishedperfect
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was relinquishingprogressive
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were relinquishingprogressive
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had been relinquishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of relinquish
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English relinquissen, relinquisshen, from Middle French relinquiss-, long stem of relinquir ≪ Latin relinquere “to leave behind,” equivalent to re- re- + linquere “to leave” (akin to lend )
Explanation
If you relinquish something, you let it go. You relinquish control of the army when you resign as general. You relinquish your plan to sneak into town when your parents find out what's going on. Relinquish is also commonly used to mean physically letting go of something: The monkey wouldn't relinquish its grasp on the banana. Relinquish descends from Latin relinquere, from the prefix re-, "again" plus linquere, "to leave."
Vocabulary lists containing relinquish
The Declaration of Independence
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The Giver
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 4
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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:
Instead of shedding tears or vowing revenge, we hear the protagonist in the song begging the mistress who holds the power to relinquish it.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
“Coordination, not subordination,” Sheinbaum said Friday, reiterating a motto emphasizing that Mexico will not relinquish its sovereignty in response to U.S. pressure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Shehu and numerous land claimants have traded victories in various trials and appeals, none of which forced Shehu to relinquish the land.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
RWE said it has agreed to relinquish its leases off the California and Louisiana coasts as well as in the New York Bight.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Beowulf, badly bruised, refused to relinquish his hold.
From "Beowulf: A New Telling" by Robert Nye
If an individual voluntarily relinquishes all future Social Security retirement benefits, why shouldn’t they be allowed to assume that risk themselves?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
On Thursday, Venezuela's parliament adopted reforms that offer greater guarantees to private players, relinquishes state control of exploration, and lowers taxes.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
An Italian job looks the most likely alternative if Luke Donald relinquishes the European Ryder Cup leadership with Francesco and Edoardo Molinari providing a compelling captaincy combo.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2026
More likely the U.S. aims to signal to Mr. Maduro that his life expectancy will improve if he relinquishes power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025
Locke relinquishes me to the youngest prince, as is expected out of deference.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
She was to stay in the leadership role for at least the next four seasons after the Buss family relinquished control of the team to Walter in 2025.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Then there is Amit Bhatia, who had been a director and co-owner of Queens Park Rangers for the last 18 years until he relinquished his ownership stake in the Championship club on 21 July.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
New York relinquished a bucket of first-round draft picks to land Bridges, who, like Josh Hart, is a former Villanova teammate of Brunson’s, and the ROI had been meh.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
"I have never relinquished my convictions, my freedom of thought or my independence."
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
He relinquished the endeavour, folded his arms, and stood quiet and mute in the rain, now falling fast on his uncovered head.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Washington, meanwhile, famously made relinquishing power part of his own legacy.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
The rescue center argued that Bruce’s owners should have notified and surrendered the dog to them before relinquishing control to animal services.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Bhatia is the son-in-law of Indian billionaire businessman Lakshmi Mittal and had been a director and co-owner of Queens Park Rangers for 18 years before relinquishing his stake in the club last month.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
The 32-year-old told AFP he has been reading copiously since relinquishing his weapon, and has particularly enjoyed his copy of "Cinderella."
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
Hrothgar went back to his high, carved chair, relinquishing the bowl to the noblest of his thanes, and sat like an old man listening inside his mind to the voices of his childhood.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
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.
