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
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
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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
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The Internal Revenue Service's acting commissioner — its third leader this year — is resigning after reaching a controversial agreement to release immigrants' tax data to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), multiple outlets reported.—
Avery Lotz,
Axios,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The New York congresswoman had relinquished her No. 4 leadership slot as House Republican Conference Chair since she had been named Trump’s UN pick, and Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) was elected in her place.—
Emily Brooks,
The Hill,
9 Apr. 2025
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So Paul relinquished the same number of sacks and just one less pressure in 272 fewer pass blocking snaps than Armstead played.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Some of these firms have responded by agreeing to renounce diversity outreach efforts and commit tens of millions of dollars in pro bono work to defend Trump's priorities in future litigation.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
10 Apr. 2025
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The Russian president has also demanded that Ukraine renounce joining NATO military alliance, sharply cut its army, and protect Russian language and culture to keep the country in Moscow’s orbit.—
TIME,
TIME,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abdicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abdicate. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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