as in to resign
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
the revolutionary government forced Nicholas II to abdicate the Russian throne
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Recent Examples of abdicate
Congress has abdicated its Constitutional duty to be a check on executive overreach.
—
Andrew Stanton, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
Regretfully, both groups have abdicated their duties.
—Vincent Turley, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2025
At home in Scotland, Mary was losing popularity, and she was ultimately forced to abdicate the Scottish throne in 1567.
—Sarah Holzmann, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Feb. 2025
The group said the 14 AGs needed to step in because Congress has abdicated its responsibility as an equal branch of government.
—Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdicate
Andrew Stanton, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
Regretfully, both groups have abdicated their duties.
—Vincent Turley, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2025
At home in Scotland, Mary was losing popularity, and she was ultimately forced to abdicate the Scottish throne in 1567.
—Sarah Holzmann, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Feb. 2025
The group said the 14 AGs needed to step in because Congress has abdicated its responsibility as an equal branch of government.
—Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdicate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abdicate
Verb
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One of the issues the Board is facing is hiring a new executive director after Board members decided not to renew the contract of Steve Wilson, who resigned in January, per previous reporting.—
Myrna Petlicki,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2025
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Behind the scenes: Netanyahu has been pressing Bar for several weeks to resign.—
Barak Ravid,
Axios,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Britain’s slimmer new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also relinquished the U.K.’s past leadership in research and expertise, largely due to pay reductions and restrictions on hiring non-British nationals.—
Sarah Stroup,
The Conversation,
19 Mar. 2025
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She was relinquished by her first adoptive family due to her behavioral issues.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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As the historian Landon Storrs has shown, the Red Scare pressured an entire generation of federal workers into putting their heads down, keeping their mouths shut, and renouncing interest in progressive ideas.—
Beverly Gage,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
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But the Polisario could renounce its claim to Dakhla in exchange for other concessions more meaningful to its own projects and ambitions.—
Hannah Rae Armstrong,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abdicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abdicate. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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