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:
As the determined Galloway refuses to relinquish her role—she enlists Downey’s aunt to keep her on the case—she and Kaffee clash over strategy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
He said it was unlikely that these key figures would relinquish their direct influence over militias loyal to them and remain satisfied with their formal positions alone.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Bauers delivered the knockout blow in Milwaukee’s 6-2 victory on Wednesday, smashing a go-ahead, two-run home run off ace Blake Snell to give the Brewers a lead they would never relinquish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Reports suggest the 37-year-old Harmanpreet was willing to relinquish the T20 captaincy immediately, but was keen to continue leading the side in One-Day Internationals and Tests so that younger players could benefit from her experience.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Who was to say that he, too, would not go mad, if forced to relinquish his baby—his baby—to the Robes?
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
He also said that the Board of Peace intends to take possession of Hamas’ weapons when it relinquishes them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
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
The revised law offers greater guarantees to private players, relinquishes state control of exploration, and lowers taxes and royalties.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 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
She relinquishes my arm and lifts my chin.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
Just over a year earlier, Thorslund relinquished her WBC and WBO titles after becoming pregnant.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 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
Carvalho ultimately relinquished his right to severance by resigning — while avoiding the possibility of dismissal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
U.S. natural gas futures relinquished intraday gains and settled fractionally lower despite a 32 Bcf weekly inventory build that landed at the low end of market estimates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
But the problems had fallen away, the village had thrived, and Jonas had relinquished leadership to others so that he could take up an unburdened life with his family.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
A common misconception is that moving abroad requires relinquishing your U.S. citizenship and passport.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Breathing life into the liberty-virtue synthesis might require relinquishing the vocabulary of fusionism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
McConnell, who became the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history before relinquishing that role last year, is now 84.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
Lilly Cassirer Neubauer escaped Germany at the dawn of World War II by relinquishing to a Nazi art broker the exquisite impressionist masterpiece “Rue Saint-Honoré in the Afternoon. Effect of Rain,” by Camille Pissarro.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 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
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