Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To refrain from something by one's own choice: abstain from traditional political rhetoric. See Synonyms at refrain1.
- v. To refrain from voting: Forty senators voted in favor of the bill, 45 voted against it, and 15 abstained.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To forbear or refrain voluntarily, especially from what gratifies the passions or appetites: used with from: as, to abstain from the use of ardent spirits; to abstain from luxuries.
- To hinder; obstruct; debar; cause to keep away from: as, “abstain men from marrying,” Milton.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To hold one's self aloof; to forbear or refrain voluntarily, and especially from an indulgence of the passions or appetites; -- with
from . - v. To hinder; to withhold.
WordNet 3.0
- v. choose not to consume
- v. refrain from voting
Etymologies
- Middle English absteinen, to avoid, from Old French abstenir, from Latin abstinēre, to hold back : abs-, ab-, away; see ab-1 + tenēre, to hold; see ten- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The tone of the post abovee will make me abstain from the chicken from now on but I'm going to indulge in Tyler's magical cheese elixir once the paleo thing is done.”
“If I lived in Louisiana, I would abstain from the Senate race.”
“In an unusually public rebuke, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel said Monday that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had been forced to abstain from a United Nations resolution on Gaza that she helped draft, after Mr. Olmert placed a phone call to President Bush.”
Matthew Yglesias » Olmert Claims to Control US Foreign Policy
“Bush refused, simply instructing Rice to abstain from the vote.”
Matthew Yglesias » Olmert Claims to Control US Foreign Policy
“I will abstain from the use of and participation in any socialist goods and services including but not limited to the following:”
“The worst thing we can do for peace is to abstain from a resolution condemning the settlements.”
“The BBC reports that the U.S. may abstain from a U.N. resolution against Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem.”
“In summary, Switzerland regretted that the resolution was not adopted by consensus, which is why it had decided to abstain from the vote.”
The Huffington Post: David Isenberg: Sloppy Language and Human Rights
“Siblings of the opposite sex should not interact in unchaperoned areas to abstain from the "appearance of evil." etc. etc.”
“The ONLY way the Dems could have avoided this trap and * really* unmasked this ‘resolution’ for the bullshit election-year propaganda it truly is would have been to simply abstain from the vote en masse.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘abstain’.
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GRE 2014
abase, abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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important
shamanism, consol, sanguine, iffy, affinity, concatenation, honed, innumberable, aiden, inexorable, vet, suss and 176 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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501
Classic
abhor, mirth, obtuse, iota, vex, irk, teem, pith, moot, mete, ire, bane and 401 more...
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POL - legislation
US Congress/Senate + Westminster + European Parliament usage
across the desk, act, action, adjournment, adjournment sine die, adoption, advise and consent, amendment, analysis of the b..., apportionment, appropriation, appropriations limit and 652 more...
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501
Classic
irk, teem, blight, pith, moot, mete, ire, bane, bilk, boor, elan, ado and 401 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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MUN Vocabulary
suspend, abstain, adjourn, agenda, amendment, binding, background guide, bloc, caucus, chair, dais, decorum and 41 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6689 more...
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my gre list
its my gre word lists
abeyance, aberr, abash, abide, abhor, abject, abjure, ablution, abode, abolish, abominable, aboriginal and 19 more...
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5000 FREE SAT Words
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 229 more...
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SAT_RW
bigot, remuneration, kindle, noxious, abhor, placid, enfranchise, counterfeit, hamper, Abrasive, bilk, covert and 87 more...
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maygra
apropos, advantageous, perception, discombobulated, adumbrate, apogee, perihelion, mortmain, solitudinous, mediastinus, asumbrative, traveler and 498 more...
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Words I Know
List of most of the words I've learned
garner, abase, abate, abdicate, abduct, aberration, abet, abhor, abide, abject, abjure, abnegation and 1046 more...
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1stDay
lucid, tenacious, adhesive, cling, reconcile, scenic, picturesque, inundate, gastrointestinal, diarrhea, heredity, alimentary canal and 89 more...
Tweets
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