abolish

verb

abol·​ish ə-ˈbä-lish 

abolished; abolishing; abolishes

transitive verb

: to end the observance or effect of (something, such as a law) : to completely do away with (something) : annul

abolish a law

abolish slavery

abolishable

ə-ˈbä-li-shə-bəl 

adjective

abolisher noun

abolishment

ə-ˈbä-lish-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• abate
• abrogate
• annul
• avoid
• cancel
• disannul
• dissolve
• invalidate
• negate
• null
• nullify
• quash
• repeal
• rescind
• roll back
• strike down
• vacate
• void

Examples of abolish in a Sentence

He is in favor of abolishing the death penalty.

the U.S. abolished slavery by constitutional amendment on December 6, 1865

Recent Examples on the Web

That loophole remained open following the most recent U.S. election, which saw California voters shooting down Proposition 6, which would have abolished prison labor. —Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 11 Jan. 2025

So legislation abolishing the department (already written by GOP Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota) would have to pass through budget reconciliation, which lets certain legislation pass with a mere majority in the Senate. —Dylan Matthews, Vox, 2 Jan. 2025

Biden, only the second Catholic president in U.S. history, campaigned in 2020 on abolishing the federal death penalty. —Ella Lee, The Hill, 23 Dec. 2024

Trump this week called for permanently abolishing the debt ceiling. —Christina Wilkie, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English abolysshen, borrowed from Middle French aboliss-, stem of abolir "to abolish," borrowed from Latin abolēre "to destroy, efface, put an end to," perhaps formed from abolēscere "to shrivel up, be effaced, fall into disuse," from ab- ab- + -ol-, medial form of the base of alere "to nourish, bring up" + -ēsc-, inchoative suffix — more at old entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

abolish

verb

abol·​ish ə-ˈbäl-ish 

: to do away with completely : put an end to

abolishable

-ə-bəl 

adjective

abolisher noun

abolishment

-mənt 

noun

Legal Definition

abolish

transitive verb

abol·​ish

: to end the observance or effect of : annul