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
The Queen abdicated her position in January 2024 on the 52nd anniversary of her rise to the throne, becoming the first Danish royal to voluntarily do so in almost 900 years.
—
Jillian Frankel, People.com, 12 May 2025
On too many issues, foreign and domestic, Congress has abdicated its authority often leaving Trump with the power of a monarch.
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 10 Apr. 2025
The Center for Western Priorities, a conservation advocacy group, said Burgum was abdicating his responsibilities.
—Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 21 Apr. 2025
The authors wonder when people will abdicate more authority to AI as it becomes increasingly intertwined in every aspect of life.
—Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdicate
Jillian Frankel, People.com, 12 May 2025
On too many issues, foreign and domestic, Congress has abdicated its authority often leaving Trump with the power of a monarch.
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 10 Apr. 2025
The Center for Western Priorities, a conservation advocacy group, said Burgum was abdicating his responsibilities.
—Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 21 Apr. 2025
The authors wonder when people will abdicate more authority to AI as it becomes increasingly intertwined in every aspect of life.
—Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdicate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abdicate
Verb
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Her firing comes after former Harvard President Claudine Gay resigned from her position in 2024 following accusations of academic plagiarism.—
Sophie Clark,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 May 2025
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The demonstration Tuesday evening in front of Seattle City Hall is expected to call on Harrell to retract his statement, apologize, or resign.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Harvard University will relinquish 175-year-old photographs believed to be the earliest taken of enslaved people to a South Carolina museum devoted to African American history as part of a settlement with one of the subjects’ descendants.—
Leah Willingham,
Christian Science Monitor,
28 May 2025
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Despite bipartisan and nearly unequivocal support for Gypsum Canyon in the intervening four years, Agran has refused to relinquish his goal of completing a veterans cemetery in Irvine.—
Jonathan Horwitz,
Oc Register,
28 May 2025
Verb
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The measure shows how Florida’s flagship institution is formalizing political expectations for Ono, who conservative critics have renounced as a left-wing opportunist feigning opposition to DEI to appease the state’s Republican base.—
Garrett Shanley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 June 2025
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Yes, but once you are naturalized, you are considered fully Argentine in the eyes of the law, and citizenship cannot be renounced.—
Laura Begley Bloom,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abdicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abdicate. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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