as in to resign
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
the revolutionary government forced Nicholas II to abdicate the Russian throne
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of abdicate
Trump also seems to have abdicated most responsibility of bureaucracy to others by allowing Musk’s team unprecedented access to sensitive government programs and documents that include people’s personal information.
—
Shannon Bow O'Brien, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2025
The episode was broadly interpreted as the U.S. abdicating its decadeslong role as guarantor of European security.
—Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Mar. 2025
Benedict was the first pope to abdicate the papacy since Pope Celestine V resigned in 1294.
—Astha Rajvanshi, NBC News, 1 Mar. 2025
George Washington, who could have been a king, set the tone by abdicating after two terms, a precedent followed by all his successors until F.D.R., under wartime exigency, broke it.
—Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdicate
Shannon Bow O'Brien, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2025
The episode was broadly interpreted as the U.S. abdicating its decadeslong role as guarantor of European security.
—Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Mar. 2025
Benedict was the first pope to abdicate the papacy since Pope Celestine V resigned in 1294.
—Astha Rajvanshi, NBC News, 1 Mar. 2025
George Washington, who could have been a king, set the tone by abdicating after two terms, a precedent followed by all his successors until F.D.R., under wartime exigency, broke it.
—Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdicate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abdicate
Verb
-
Acting Internal Revenue Service (IRS) commissioner Melanie Krause is resigning after a deal was made to share immigrants’ tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).—
Lauren Irwin,
The Hill,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is resigning over a new federal agreement that allows immigration enforcement access to taxpayer data, according to two people familiar with the decision who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Hamas does not tolerate dissent and will not relinquish power easily.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Israel says the war won’t end until Hamas relinquishes power and releases the remaining 59 hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel from Gaza.—
Bloomberg News,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The outlet also confirmed that Cooper's network renounced their rights to Hot Mess and that SiriusXM will no longer sell ads for the show.—
Athena Sobhan,
People.com,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Cromwell came up with a legal solution for the king’s problem, pushing Parliament to pass a series of acts that renounced papal authority and declared Henry the supreme head of the nascent Church of England.—
Meilan Solly,
Smithsonian Magazine,
20 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abdicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abdicate. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share