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Definitions

abstain

[ab-stayn] / æbˈsteɪn /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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"We must intensify efforts to help people quit tobacco use, avoid cancer-linked infections, abstain from alcohol, maintain a healthy weight, and get more daily exercise."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

Mayra Goulart, political science professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, told AFP the main challenge for Lula and Flavio will be to reach "disengaged voters" who are highly likely to abstain.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

Mitchell said intraparty matchups in the past have shown 35% of orphaned voters or more simply abstain from voting in that race.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

The diet is the brainchild of Dr. Sean O’Mara, who advises his high-profile patients to eat fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi, alongside grass-fed steak—and to abstain from alcohol and sugary food.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

Better to abstain from the gardens of delectable delights than to be stuck planting them, dawn to dusk.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

He, too, said he abstains from getting involved due to the damage illegal mining does to the land, especially as a result of the chemicals used for extracting gold.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Even if Warsh abstains again, the other 18 senior Fed members are all expected to submit their own dots.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Recently persuaded by her teen daughter, Mae, to join social media, Hahn abstains from reading the comments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 26, 2024

Abby now abstains from video sites and TV, Maggie uses library computers for online access, and Sophia's sponsor keeps her in check when she needs to use the internet.

From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2024

I don’t know if the hose were clean, but I do notice that everyone on the show abstains from drinking lemonade that day.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Fourteen of the CDU's state MPs took part in the vote, but only five of them abstained as planned, and one unconfirmed report suggested four may have backed Rausch.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

During that meeting, Mitchell abstained from a vote to put the item on the ballot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Aimed at "a more accurate representation" of continental landmasses, the resolution was supported by 164 countries while the United States voted against it and six other states abstained.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

When he was previously an MP he abstained from a 2015 vote on another bill to legalise assisted dying because of concerns over safeguards and people feeling under pressure.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

She could have made an inquiry or two, as to the expedition and the expense of the Irish mails;—it was at her tongue’s end—but she abstained.

From "Emma" by Jane Austen

Some Americans are abstaining for health and wellness reasons, others because of cost.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

After five years of abstaining, a giant chip maker has returned to the bond market.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

In 2020, Milan Township passed an ordinance that would allow the project to go forward, with Heath’s brother, the township supervisor, abstaining.

From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2026

Although she did not agree a deal for the new budget Jane Dodds, the Welsh Liberal Democrat leader and the party's only MS, said she would also be abstaining on the budget.

From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2026

I remember reading about Pythagoras around this time, and finding some of his ideas curiously appealing—wearing white garments, for instance, or abstaining from foods which have a soul.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt


Vocabulary lists containing abstain

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