renounce
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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
-
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:
The U.S. doesn’t hold a grudge against those who renounce citizenship.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 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
At a White House summit in August, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to renounce claims to each other's territory and refrain from using force.
From Barron's ● May 26, 2026
The U.S. government has a monthslong backlog of Americans asking to renounce their citizenship, either to secure a foreign passport or to avoid taxation of their earnings abroad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 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
A prominent billionaire investor renounces his Russian citizenship.
From New York Times ● Oct. 11, 2022
The remaining two-thirds disappear from the sight of the State, which henceforth renounces all responsibility for their supervision.
From Boy Labour and Apprenticeship by Bray, Reginald Arthur
“Once someone has renounced, the ongoing filings end.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
He renounced all painting as “retinal”; that is, art meant to entice the eyes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Although he was elected, he renounced his legislative duties to continue serving as prime minister.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
The Brotherhood is a century-old Islamist group that renounced violence in the 1970s, though spinoffs such as Hamas remain active and on the U.S. blacklist.
From Salon ● May 19, 2026
Mr. Collins had found a young woman who’d come over to Japan with her family, though she herself had not renounced.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
For the right person, renouncing citizenship can be a prudent decision.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
At a White House summit in August 2025, Trump brokered an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan that saw the two countries commit to renouncing claims on each other's territory and refrain from using force.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 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
Leaders may enhance their informal status by renouncing formal symbols.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
