resign
Americanverb (used without object)
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resigns,
present (3rd person singular)
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resigned,
past participle, past
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resigning
present participle
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to give up an office or position, often formally (often followed byfrom ).
to resign from the presidency.
- Synonyms:
- withdraw
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to submit; yield.
to resign before the inevitable.
verb (used with object)
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resigns,
present (3rd person singular)
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resigned,
past participle, past
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resigning
present participle
-
to give up (an office, position, etc.), often formally.
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to relinquish (a right, claim, agreement, etc.).
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to give or sign over, as to the control or care of another.
She resigned her child to an adoption agency.
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to submit (oneself, one's mind, etc.) without resistance.
verb
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to give up tenure of (a job, office, etc)
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(tr) to reconcile (oneself) to; yield
to resign oneself to death
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(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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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resignsimple
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resignssimple
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have resignedperfect
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has resignedperfect
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am resigningprogressive
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are resigningprogressive
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is resigningprogressive
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have been resigningperfect progressive
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has been resigningperfect progressive
Past
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resignedsimple
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had resignedperfect
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was resigningprogressive
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were resigningprogressive
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had been resigningperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing resign
The Silent Treatment: Words Plagued by Silent Letters
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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Hamilton
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Others, like Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., called for Kennedy to resign or be fired.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
The chair of the Parades Commission has said she and her colleagues do not intend to resign.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 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
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday his government would provide free online coaching lessons for competitive exams, weeks after massive youth-led protests forced the education minister to resign.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
How many different kinds of ruin do you have to see before you resign yourself to calling it all “ruin”? “We’re almost at the fringe,” George calls from the middle of the truck.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
He resigns as leader and then has his membership suspended by the party.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
The protesters said they would stay in the streets until Rama resigns.
From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 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
She decides one last case before she resigns as a judge for the People’s Court.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
“I had resigned myself at the time that this movie might take 30 years to get out of the vault,” screenwriter Samy Burch says on a video call.
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
Chandrasekharan's exit is the second instance where the chairman has resigned because of the rocky relationship with the Trusts.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Earlier this month, Carlson hosted a small group that included Greene, Massie and Joe Kent, Trump’s former counterterrorism chief who resigned over the Iran war.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 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
He was found dead at his home in London on 14 August, days after resigning from his post.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 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
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
Carvalho ultimately relinquished his right to severance by resigning — while avoiding the possibility of dismissal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Ginika’s parents had been talking for a while about resigning from the university and starting over in America.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
