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

Others, like Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., called for Kennedy to resign or be fired.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

She also called upon the commissioners to voluntarily resign.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Beattie, who quit the UUP in May after an internal party dispute, said Nesbitt was left with "no other choice" but to resign after Burrows voiced his opposition to withdrawing services from Causeway Hospital.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

In 2012, Kubasik was the president at Lockheed Martin and had been selected to take over as CEO when the company asked him to resign.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

That evening, I consulted with my friend and mentor, K.D., who felt that as a matter of principle I was correct to resign, and should not capitulate.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

"The peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar will continue until Pradhan resigns," Dipke told his supporters.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

India's "Cockroach" party movement vowed Tuesday to press ahead with their campaign until the education minister resigns, a day after at least 180 people were injured in protests in New Delhi.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 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

She decides one last case before she resigns as a judge for the People’s Court.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

One member of the Commission, Billy Gamble, who had faced the most public criticism over private comments he is alleged to have made about the parade determination, resigned on Thursday.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Aschenbrenner resigned with all of his Future Fund colleagues when FTX imploded.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Curtis, a 68-year-old attorney, was appointed by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors in the spring of 2025 to fill the position vacated by two previous registrars who resigned for health reasons.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Curlee, who has since resigned from the Central Intelligence Agency after 20 years of service, recently shared her experience in a first-person essay published by The Atlantic magazine.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

I poked again and said, “A little faster,” then off he went, helter-skelter as before, and we resigned ourselves to our fate.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Conservative MP Sir James Cleverly has said he is resigning from the shadow cabinet to run for London mayor.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

However, the panel split, with two members resigning and producing a separate report.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Arday had announced that he was resigning with immediate effect both from his university post as professor of sociology of education and as a fellow of Jesus College.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

“Very well,” Mola said, as if resigning herself.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss