as in to refuse
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Recent Examples of abstain
What To Know Conducted by the University of Michigan, the survey revealed that two-thirds of 12th graders reported abstaining from alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes and e-cigarettes in the past 30 days—the highest level of abstinence since 2017, when the metric was first tracked.
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Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
Due to her fall on Friday, Pelosi abstained from participating in scheduled events to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.
—Cami Mondeaux, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Dec. 2024
Board split in every vote, some members question district's motive for restructuring
Two board members, Ben Lindy and Kendra Mapp, voted against or abstained from all of the votes regarding the administration's controversial growth plan.
—Madeline Mitchell, The Enquirer, 11 Dec. 2024
What's New Gen Z is saying no to drugs, as the percentage of students who abstained from drugs reached record levels this year, according to research from the University of Michigan.
—Gord Magill, Newsweek, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for abstain 
Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
Due to her fall on Friday, Pelosi abstained from participating in scheduled events to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.
—Cami Mondeaux, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Dec. 2024
Board split in every vote, some members question district's motive for restructuring
Two board members, Ben Lindy and Kendra Mapp, voted against or abstained from all of the votes regarding the administration's controversial growth plan.
—Madeline Mitchell, The Enquirer, 11 Dec. 2024
What's New Gen Z is saying no to drugs, as the percentage of students who abstained from drugs reached record levels this year, according to research from the University of Michigan.
—Gord Magill, Newsweek, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for abstain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstain
Verb
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Colonists refused to buy British products leading up to the Revolution, and when the British tried to bring in tea against their wishes ...Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
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Trump initially refused to approve federal aid to California for wildfires in 2018 until a National Security Council staffer showed him that Orange County had a dense concentration of voters who supported him, according to Politico.Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In 2023, Cleveland-Cliffs made a $7 billion bid to acquire U.S. Steel, but the offer was rejected.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
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By March, 2014, all but one of the publishers had rejected the book, and Kim and Freeman parted ways.Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Evenflo, maker of car seats and other baby gear, on Wednesday announced a product aimed at turning down the chaos during those less-than-peaceful car rides.Leslie Katz, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
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Non-dual meditation aims at turning down even those deep priors that construct distinctions between subject and object altogether.Oshan Jarow, Vox, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Yes, there are lots of uses for buttermilk, don't hesitate.Bon Appétit, Bon Appétit, 9 Jan. 2025
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Patients often hesitate to share feedback openly in these areas, fearing judgment or a loss of privacy.Lauren Parr, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Romney's Cass took Obama to task for opposing development of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and for temporizing on the Keystone pipeline, while Obama's Aldy accused Romney of being insensitive to the environment and to the needs and desires of future generations.IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 9 Oct. 2012
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Accompanying these principles must be a rejection of the impulse to temporize about the dangers that confront us and a rejection of the bizarre deprecation of our nation and civilization.Peter J. Travers, National Review, 29 Mar. 2022
Thesaurus Entries Near abstain
Cite this Entry
“Abstain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstain. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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