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

“Just resign already, Bill. Take the next buyout and free up some precious space in the paper for someone with insightful or interesting things to say.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

Dawson said various groups of patients had called on Connor to resign over the destruction of the logbooks.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

When President Andry Rajoelina dissolved his government but refused to resign, demonstrations intensified.

From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026

On March 22, five days after her initial tweets, Black announced that he would resign as CEO and board chairman of Apollo effective immediately, some three months ahead of schedule.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

Thus live, dear Maggie, until God brings me back to you; and then … we will resign ourselves to a passion sanctified by love and marriage … Let us live for each other.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

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

Pollster Ipsos asked Britons who should lead Labour if Starmer resigns, and 17% chose Burnham—more than triple his nearest rival, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

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

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

A furore erupted this month after a researcher publicly resigned from Anthropic over fears that the technology could escape human control.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

On Tuesday, Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned from the company, saying he didn’t want to participate in an industry that he perceived as out-of-control.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

And just this week, Anthropic employee Jacob Coxon resigned from the company for fear that development of A.I. is “out of control.”

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

“If you have a superadvanced intelligence, it will be smart enough to kill us,” said Jacob Coxon, the resigned Anthropic researcher whose social media post attracted over 150 million views.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

His tone is somewhere between rebuking and resigned, as if he’s disappointed in me but didn’t expect to be otherwise.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

The Manor of Northstead, in North Yorkshire, is the other remaining office given to resigning MPs.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

Sue Gray, who the paper says was "the most powerful adviser" in Downing Street before resigning in 2024, criticised the working environment under Sir Keir on a podcast.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

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

Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Professor of Black Studies Kehinde Andrews, a friend of Arday, described him as "very down" after resigning from Cambridge.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

I remained silent, resigning myself to the worst.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane