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

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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)

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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

The answer to this inquiry would be because leaders of his own party informed Nixon that he would be removed from office if he didn’t resign.

From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026

One said top officials wanting to take extended leave "should resign".

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Then again, the silliest thing our species could do is resign ourselves to disaster.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

I was offered the choice to take it down or resign.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

“Now you will go to your office and resign your position, effective immediately.”

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

The job is largely a ceremonial post, but if the sitting governor dies, resigns or is removed from office, then the lieutenant governor would be elevated to take over.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

A date will not be set for the by-election until Sir Keir formally resigns his Commons seat.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Plus, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigns after months of tension with Pete Hegseth, and a look at why Seattle and D.C. are drawing more families with kids.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

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

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

Reform says the people filmed by ITV are all under investigation, and have already either resigned or been suspended.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

South Africa's deputy police chief has resigned three weeks after he was charged with sexual offences.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Joe diGenova resigned as a supervisor of the probe, saying department officials pressured the team to bring criminal cases before they were ready.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Over the last decade, Cruise has resigned himself to action stardom, writing death-defying stunts into his contracts.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

Petrosian resigned on the forty-sixth move, and Bobby Fischer was the new challenger for the World Championship.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

The state's prisons chief said he is resigning after the failed execution.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Good's death also prompted turmoil inside the Justice Department after federal prosecutors in Minneapolis were prevented from investigating the agents involved, with several resigning in protest.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Gay was president for six months, the shortest stretch in the institution’s history, before resigning at the start of 2024.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

But the Fair Games Coalition claims she responded to their requests to meet and discuss their concerns by resigning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

By resigning voluntarily, he was declaring that his deepest allegiances, like those of his critics, were thoroughly republican.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

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