resign

American  

[ri-zahyn] / rɪˈzaɪn /

verb (used without object)

• resigns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• resigned,
  past participle,  past
• resigning
  present participle

1. to give up an office or position, often formally (often followed byfrom ).

   to resign from the presidency.

   Synonyms:

   withdraw

2. to submit; yield.

   to resign before the inevitable.

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verb (used with object)

• resigns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• resigned,
  past participle,  past
• resigning
  present participle

1. to give up (an office, position, etc.), often formally.

   Synonyms:

   leave, quit, renounce, abdicate

2. to relinquish (a right, claim, agreement, etc.).

   Synonyms:

   cede, surrender, give up, forgo

3. to give or sign over, as to the control or care of another.

   She resigned her child to an adoption agency.

4. to submit (oneself, one's mind, etc.) without resistance.

resign British  

/ rɪˈzaɪn /

verb

1. to give up tenure of (a job, office, etc)

2. (tr) to reconcile (oneself) to; yield

   to resign oneself to death

3. (tr) to give up (a right, claim, etc); relinquish

   he resigned his claim to the throne

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Usage

What does resign mean? Resign most commonly means to give up one’s job or position. When used this way, resign can be used without an object, as in He resigned yesterday, or with one, as in She is expected to resign her position. In its general sense, resign means to yield or submit, as in When he knew he couldn’t possibly win the match, he decided to resign. Example: They say he resigned on his own, but I think he was forced out.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• resigner
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• resigning
  present
• resigned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• resign
  simple
• resigns
  simple
• have resigned
  perfect
• has resigned
  perfect
• am resigning
  progressive
• are resigning
  progressive
• is resigning
  progressive
• have been resigning
  perfect progressive
• has been resigning
  perfect progressive

Past

• resigned
  simple
• had resigned
  perfect
• was resigning
  progressive
• were resigning
  progressive
• had been resigning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will resign
  simple
• will have resigned
  perfect
• will be resigning
  progressive
• will have been resigning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of resign

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English resignen, from Middle French resigner, from Latin resignāre “to open, release, cancel,” literally, “to seal back,” from re- re- + signāre “to mark, seal” ( see sign)

Explanation

To resign is to quit or retire from a position. You can also resign yourself to something inevitable, like death — meaning you just accept that it's going to happen. When people resign, they're leaving something, like a job or political office. Congressmen resign after a scandal. Coaches resign after a really terrible season. Regular folks simply resign when they're ready to go. In those cases, resign is a nicer way of saying quit. Being resigned is another sense of this word — it's a type of acceptance. If your team is losing 80-20, you might as well resign yourself to losing. That just means you aren't in denial.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

resign resigns resigned resigning

He was pressured to resign from the company in 2002 following a dust-up with then-CEO Owsley Brown II, his uncle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Their concerns were disregarded, prompting most to resign.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

Their hope, according to people familiar with their thinking, is that they can ramp up the pressure enough to force Infantino to resign.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Infantino has faced calls to resign and was also subject to allegations from a British newspaper on Friday that he paid off a lover while at European governing body UEFA.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

I think back to the evening when Metias decided to resign from shadowing Chian and joining the Trial enforcers.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke welcomed Wangchuk's decision to end his hunger strike but said the movement would press ahead with its campaign until the education minister resigns.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

If the sitting governor dies, resigns or is removed from office, the lieutenant governor would assume the role.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

By the time someone resigns, the real conversation is already six months overdue.

From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026

But when he suddenly dies and the family’s estate, Longbourn, passes to another male relative, Mary resigns herself to a life sentence beside a mother who can barely stand her.

From Salon ● May 20, 2026

Flavius badly wants to use his own trademark purple lipstick on me but resigns himself to a pink as they begin to color my face and nails.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

In 2024, Gay resigned as the school’s president, although she remains on the faculty.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

"When his MLA group don't even know that Mike has resigned and they find out through the media, then there is something seriously wrong about how they are being treated."

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

The finding comes after Super Micro co-founder Yih-Shyan “Wally” Liaw resigned from the company in March, as he was one of the people indicted for his alleged role in the scheme.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Around the time he hit that role’s 120-day limit, he resigned as interim and was allowed to continue under his current titles by then-Atty.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

He made a resigned, philosophical gesture and then, unexpectedly, winked at me.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Witness the two CEO roles Brian Krzanich has had at smaller companies since resigning as Intel CEO in 2018 after the company said he’d had a previous relationship with a co-worker.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

After resigning in May, Davies-Jones told the Commons in June that people whose lives were devastated by Epstein's abuse have too often been reduced to a footnote.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

Carvalho ultimately relinquished his right to severance by resigning — while avoiding the possibility of dismissal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

A second was charged after first resigning his position, then fleeing the country.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

To satisfy Spanish legal requirements, Orellana made a show of resigning his temporary command rather than leave Gonzalo.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann