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.

---

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

---

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

"It has been a great pride and a huge privilege to serve this institution," Lagarde posted on X, announcing that she would resign nine months before her term officially ends in October 2027.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

Lagarde said in a statement Thursday that she would resign in February.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Carrying a banner reading "Stop violence against students," the marchers called for Rama to resign.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

As a result, hundreds of women were affected, and many were compelled to resign.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 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

Under Holyrood's rules, any list MSP who resigns their seat is replaced by their party's next candidate at the last election.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

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

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

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

The chief executive of the state’s high-speed rail authority abruptly resigned late Wednesday ahead of a critical board vote over a key portion of the route.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

“To those of us in the system, it’s obvious what he’s doing,” said Anderson, who resigned in 2025 with six years left of his eight-year term.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026

Next month, there will be a UK-EU Summit in Brussels, which was due to happen in the summer but was postponed when Sir Keir Starmer resigned.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

Joel Riddle, Polar’s CEO until September and a former ExxonMobil employee, says he resigned after the discovery, which he said emerged in budget discussions over the summer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

On December 25, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as the last leader of the Soviet Union.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Everyone in town seems to be getting married off, with the women resigning themselves to the conventional duties of a loveless union.

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026

Casey led it for much of the 20th century, resigning from the board of the company he created shortly before his death at age 95.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Following his advice to blackmail a loose-cannon Prime Minister into resigning causes her reflux to erupt with a vengeance.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 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

I sighed, resigning myself to a term of sleeping outside and scavenging meals where I could find them.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---