as in to refuse
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Recent Examples of abstain
In a series of three votes Thursday, the ACIP members voted 5-1, with one member abstaining, to recommend that only single-dose flu vaccines be given to children, adults and pregnant women in the United States.
—
Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 26 June 2025
But while Boyle is proud of his influence on the zombie film landscape, he’s mostly abstained from watching any of those movies himself.
—Jake Kleinman, Wired News, 20 June 2025
It was opposed by Russia, China and Burkina Faso, while 11 nations abstained and two did not vote.
—Arkansas Online, 13 June 2025
Hardy-Waller ultimately abstained from the vote on whether to allow Advocate to open the new hospital.
—Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstain
Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 26 June 2025
But while Boyle is proud of his influence on the zombie film landscape, he’s mostly abstained from watching any of those movies himself.
—Jake Kleinman, Wired News, 20 June 2025
It was opposed by Russia, China and Burkina Faso, while 11 nations abstained and two did not vote.
—Arkansas Online, 13 June 2025
Hardy-Waller ultimately abstained from the vote on whether to allow Advocate to open the new hospital.
—Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstain
Verb
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Prioritizing TikTok Shop's growth could motivate ByteDance to back down from refusing to sell the app, but ultimately, China would still need to sign off, Trump has said.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
7 July 2025
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In both cases, as there was no misconduct, there were no apologies offered and no admission of guilt, in an effort to protect their reputations by refusing contrition for their journalism.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
7 July 2025
Verb
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New York Senator Julia Salazar, who was among the electeds observing hearings Thursday called for New Yorkers to reject what is happening inside lower Manhattan immigration courts.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
5 July 2025
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Last summer, West Ham had a verbal offer of £15m rejected by Al Ittihad for midfielder N’Golo Kante, then 33.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
4 July 2025
Verb
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Even after The Fast and the Furious had become a massive franchise, some stars still turned down parts in the films.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
7 July 2025
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According to Bengals senior writer Geoff Hobson, Burrow initially turned down the show, which premieres July 8.—
Kaycee Sloan,
The Enquirer,
7 July 2025
Verb
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Don’t hesitate to end partnerships with contractors who aren’t aligned with your vision or delivering results.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
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In this way, the ellipsoid would change shape in jerky, hesitating motions, gradually exploring the space around it.—
Joseph Howlett,
Quanta Magazine,
7 July 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
Cite this Entry
“Abstain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstain. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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