renounce
Americanverb (used with object)
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renounces,
present (3rd person singular)
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renounced,
past participle, past
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renouncing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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renounces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
renounced,
past participle, past
-
renouncing
present participle
noun
verb
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(tr) to give up (a claim or right), esp by formal announcement
to renounce a title
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(tr) to repudiate
to renounce Christianity
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(tr) to give up (some habit, pursuit, etc) voluntarily
to renounce smoking
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(intr) cards to fail to follow suit because one has no cards of the suit led
noun
Synonym Usage
See abandon.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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renouncementnoun
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renouncernoun
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self-renouncementnoun
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nonrenouncingadjective
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renounceableadjective
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renunciableadjective
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self-renouncedadjective
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self-renouncingadjective
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unrenounceableadjective
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unrenouncedadjective
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unrenouncingadjective
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unrenunciableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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renouncesimple
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renouncessimple
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have renouncedperfect
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has renouncedperfect
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am renouncingprogressive
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are renouncingprogressive
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is renouncingprogressive
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have been renouncingperfect progressive
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has been renouncingperfect progressive
Past
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renouncedsimple
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had renouncedperfect
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was renouncingprogressive
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were renouncingprogressive
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had been renouncingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of renounce
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English renouncen, from Middle French renoncer, from Latin renūntiāre “to bring back word, disclaim,” equivalent to re- re- + nūntiāre “to announce,” derivative of nūntius “messenger, news”
Explanation
To renounce is to officially give up or turn away from. If you decide to become a vegetarian, you will renounce hamburgers and bacon. The transitive verb renounce is a stronger, more formal way of saying that you reject or disown something. A prince who's tired of the royal life could renounce his title and become a commoner, and a senator who wanted to become an independent would have to renounce her ties to her previous political party. You'd be wise to heed the wisdom of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who said: “To renounce liberty is to renounce being a man, to surrender the rights of humanity and even its duties.”
Vocabulary lists containing renounce
The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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Ender's Game
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Little Women
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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:
"Along with our vow to renounce war, I reaffirmed our determination to continue fulfilling our responsibility to uphold Japan's postwar path as a peaceful nation," he added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
The U.S. diplomats offered a trade-off to Iran, the people said: Relinquish its claim to control the strait and renounce toll payments in exchange for billions of dollars of unfrozen funds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Draining a few isn’t enough to make them renounce their loyalty to his congregation, known as the Beautiful Unwell.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
It would appear, in a world where someone can divorce and remarry, switch political allegiance or renounce a religious faith, ending a relationship with a football club is largely unheard of.
From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2026
The couple has now resided there for a dozen years and gradually persuaded the Fayu to renounce violence.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
"By yielding to pressure, it weakens collective action and renounces its potential leading role," she told AFP.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
A disclaimer is a legal document in which someone renounces an asset that was set to be inherited.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
When Elisabeta is killed, he renounces God and sets off on his quest for his love.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
Custom dictates that a foreigner cannot become empress, however, and Titus renounces their love, leaving Bérénice shattered.
From New York Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
She renounces all of the vanities of this world for him.
From The Enemies of Women (Los enemigos de la mujer) by Vicente Blasco Ib??ez
Piker later renounced the statement, saying it was wrong, but the fact that he said it once still continues to be brought up, again and again, in El-Sayed’s race.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Hilton became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2021 and last year renounced his British citizenship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
There have been eight female emperors on the Chrysanthemum Throne in Japan's imperial family, whose divine status was renounced after World War II.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
He is a Cypriot citizen, having renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019, and has been living in Monaco.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
He set down every evil thought he had and renounced it.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
The lower fee for renouncing citizenship “may remove a symbolic administrative barrier to renunciation, but it does not change the core financial analysis,” Concepción said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
St Francis, who died on October 3, 1226, founded the Franciscan order after renouncing his wealth and devoting his life to the poor.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
In 2020, she ran for president, renouncing her anti-LGBTQ views and apologizing for her earlier stance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
By week’s end he had withdrawn the threats, without formally renouncing the goal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 24, 2026
Her mind wandered, thinking of her friends at Tule Lake and how some of them had abandoned her after they learned her parents were renouncing their citizenship.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
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.
