abstain

verb

ab·​stain əb-ˈstān How to pronounce abstain (audio)
ab-
abstained; abstaining; abstains

intransitive verb

1
: to choose not to do or have something : to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self-denial from an action or practice
abstain from drinking
2
: to choose not to vote
Ten members voted for the proposal, six members voted against it, and two abstained.
abstainer noun

Did you know?

If you abstain, you're consciously, and usually with effort, choosing to hold back from doing something that you would like to do. Lucky for you, we’d never abstain from sharing a good bit of word history. Abstain traces back through Middle English and Anglo-French to the Latin verb abstinēre, which combines the prefix ab- ("from, away, off") with tenēre, a Latin verb meaning "to hold." (Spanish speakers might recognize tenēre’s influence in the Spanish verb tener, meaning "to have, hold, or take.") Tenēre has many offspring in English; other descendants include contain, detain, maintain, obtain, pertain, retain, and sustain, as well as some words that don’t end in -tain, such as tenant and tenacious. Abstain, like many of its cousins, has been used by English speakers since at least the 14th century.

Examples of abstain in a Sentence

Ten members voted for the proposal, six members voted against it, and two abstained.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram President Steve Coffman, who sits on Downtown Fort Worth Inc.’s board, abstained from the vote in anticipation that the newspaper might cover the statement. Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2025 The council voted 6-0, with Mayor Bozzo abstaining, to move forward with a mayor elected by the entire city, with the rest of the council elected in six separate districts. Luis Melecio-Zambrano, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2025 This year, Herbst abstained from a Feb. 4 commission vote that allows Bahia Mar to sell food and alcoholic beverages on the sand. Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2025 The rules include abstaining from substances that are already forbidden by the LDS Church, practicing chastity, forgoing the use of profanity and following a dress code that prohibits men from wearing beards or goatees and requires skirts to be no shorter than knee-length. Ashley Hume, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for abstain

Word History

Etymology

Middle English absteinen, abstenen, borrowed from Anglo-French asteign-, absteign-, stem of astenir, abstenir, borrowed (with conjugation change, conformed to tenir) from Latin abstinēre "to keep from, hold back, refrain, withhold oneself from," from abs- (variant of ab- ab- before c- and t-) + tenēre "to hold, occupy, possess" — more at tenant entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of abstain was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Abstain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abstain. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

abstain

verb
ab·​stain əb-ˈstān How to pronounce abstain (audio)
: to keep oneself from doing something
abstain from voting
abstainer noun

Medical Definition

abstain

intransitive verb
ab·​stain əb-ˈstān, ab- How to pronounce abstain (audio)
: to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self-denial from an action or practice (as consumption of a food or a drug or indulgence in sexual intercourse)
abstainer noun

Legal Definition

abstain

intransitive verb
ab·​stain əb-ˈstān, ab- How to pronounce abstain (audio)
: to refrain from exercising federal jurisdiction over a case : cause an abstention
federal courts should normally abstain from intervening in pending court-martial proceedingsHamdan v. Rumsfeld, 548 U.S. 557 (2006)

More from Merriam-Webster on abstain

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