renounce

American  

[ri-nouns] / rɪˈnaʊns /

verb (used with object)

renounced, renouncing

1. to give up or put aside voluntarily.

   to renounce worldly pleasures.

   Synonyms:

   quit, leave, forswear, forgo, forsake

   Antonyms:

   claim

2. to give up by formal declaration.

   to renounce a claim.

   Synonyms:

   abdicate, resign

3. to repudiate; disown.

   to renounce one's son.

   Synonyms:

   deny, disavow, reject, disclaim

   Antonyms:

   accept

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verb (used without object)

renounced, renouncing

1. Cards.

   1. to play a card of a different suit from that led.

   2. to abandon or give up a suit led.

   3. to fail to follow the suit led.

noun

1. Cards. an act or instance of renouncing.

renounce British  

/ rɪˈnaʊns /

verb

1. (tr) to give up (a claim or right), esp by formal announcement

   to renounce a title

2. (tr) to repudiate

   to renounce Christianity

3. (tr) to give up (some habit, pursuit, etc) voluntarily

   to renounce smoking

4. (intr) cards to fail to follow suit because one has no cards of the suit led

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noun

1. rare a failure to follow suit in a card game

Related Words

See abandon.

Other Word Forms

• nonrenouncing adjective
• renounceable adjective
• renouncement noun
• renouncer noun
• renunciable adjective
• self-renounced adjective
• self-renouncement noun
• self-renouncing adjective
• unrenounceable adjective
• unrenounced adjective
• unrenouncing adjective
• unrenunciable adjective

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.”

Example Sentences

It will refuse to renounce the right to enrich uranium, as it did before, having proven it can survive.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 11, 2026

All were driven to renounce the material world and liberate themselves from desires by going “forth to homelessness,” as several poems put it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

MPC pledged to "permanently renounce the use of arms" and "rejoin the political agreement for peace and reconciliation" that it signed in 2019 with 13 other armed groups, Wanzet said.

From Barron's • Nov. 21, 2025

It allowed Elordi to renounce any hang-ups, surrendering to a fugue state of mind.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2025

“But first,” said the Most Very Honored Head Mouse, “we will give you the chance to renounce your actions. We will allow you to go to the dungeon with a pure heart. ”

From "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo

Related Words

• deny
• disavow
• discard
• disown
• eschew
• forgo
• forsake
• forswear
• give up
• quit
• recant
• relinquish
• repudiate
• spurn
• waive