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.
Wiktionary
- v. Refrain from (something); hold one's self aloof; to forbear or keep from doing, especially an indulgence of the passions or appetites; -- with from.
- v. To shun voluntarily.
- v. Deliberately refrain from casting one's vote at a meeting where one is present.
- v. Hinder; withhold.
- v. Refrain from (something); hold one's self aloof; to forbear or keep from doing, especially an indulgence of the passions or appetites; -- with from.
- v. To shun voluntarily.
- v. Deliberately refrain from casting one's vote at a meeting where one is present.
- v. Hinder; withhold.
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.
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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Legislative Terms
US Congress/Senate + Westminster + European Parliament usage
unfinished business, third reading file, speaker pro tempore, voice vote, veto, upper house, urgency measure, unicameral, urgency clause, two-thirds vote, tombstone, third reading and 652 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 4084 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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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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Recent scrabble bingos
have to be played in a game
Sooting, Violins, abstain, Weepier, triggers, Treacle, Titrate, Rioting
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