abstain

It was to protect worshippers that Israel had asked people of all faiths to "temporarily abstain" from worshipping at all the holy sites in Jerusalem's Old City, he added.

From Barron's ● Mar. 29, 2026

“Arbitrators aren’t elected, they’re not required to weigh countywide trade-offs like homeless services, healthcare, capital improvements, all of those things,” said Supervisor Holly Mitchell, the only supervisor to abstain from the vote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2026

Coffee wasn’t a choice: Tanner is Mormon, and adherents traditionally abstain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026

It has been speculated that Scottish Labour could abstain - which would ensure that the Budget bill passed - after leader Anas Sarwar said his MSPs would not make the Budget fall.

From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2026

The couple had made few friends during their time in the state, making it easier to abstain from the life of town.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

He clarified that this could mean that the party abstains on any vote for the next first minister after the 2026 Holyrood election.

From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2025

“It’s hard. There aren’t enough places,” Archiopoli said, noting that Seattle has a growing segment of population that abstains from alcohol or drugs.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2023

If not, the foreign country abstains from submitting a formal re-export request, and no diplomatic harm is done.

From Reuters ● Jan. 23, 2023

As they say goodbye, Smith abstains from the fist bump that he and David have always shared.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 22, 2020

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

As an MP in 2015, Burnham abstained on another effort to legalise assisted dying.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

While they released the letter spelling out their dissent, the Fed clarified that Bowman had abstained from the vote.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

The remaining 27 lawmakers were absent or abstained.

From BBC ● May 12, 2026

Eleven states voted in favor, from Greece to Panama, while mediator Pakistan and leftist-led Colombia abstained.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026

Apparently the protections of the treaty were quite strong for those who totally abstained from magic and mischief.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

In his view, they can "bring young people back to politics", especially those particularly prone to abstaining from voting.

From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026

A joint sitting of both houses of parliament on Saturday passed the bill changing the constitution, which now requires the president's signature, with 200 lawmakers voting in favour, 18 against and four abstaining.

From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2026

Los Angeles’s city council passed the measure in November by a 12-2 vote, with one member abstaining.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 30, 2025

Could anyone really be blamed for wanting to avoid even more pain and heartbreak by abstaining from dating altogether?

From Salon ● Dec. 17, 2025

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