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

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

The writer argued that Rivera did not deserve that platform, and eventually he was forced to resign.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

President Higinbotham said he would resign before he would cede such power to anyone.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

A senior adviser to Infantino, Carlos Cordeiro, resigns citing "a bad deal for football" that would "mortgage football's future".

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 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

The board brought him in for the job after a failed external search to replace Ken Lewis, who resigned under fire.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

He had resigned as a Cambridge professor of sociology of education on 5 August, saying his resignation should not "be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me".

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

He resigned in July, despite facing threats from Reiner’s probate attorney that she would sue him if he quit the job, according to court records.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Clarke - who had signed a new four-year deal in May - resigned following the group-stage exit at the World Cup, ending his seven-year tenure.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Nok looked up at him with flat, resigned eyes.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

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

Black British academic Jason Arday, who has been at the center of a row over alleged plagiarism and racism, published his memoir in the United States on Tuesday, days after resigning from Cambridge University.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Despite resigning from his position as co-chairman in June, Sullivan remains the largest single shareholder at the club with a 38.8% stake.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

By the time his wounds were healed, he had announced to the Council that he was resigning.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill