abstain

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.

The group has historically ruled that members cannot accept blood transfusions, as - according to the groups website - both the Old and New Testaments "command us to abstain from blood".

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

European diplomats said it had been unclear until shortly before the vote whether Washington would again abstain or oppose it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 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

The basics of a no-spend—or low-spend, depending on your personal definition—challenge are just that: for a predetermined period of time, you abstain from nonessential purchases.

From Salon • Jan. 11, 2026

But above all else, he should abstain from seizing the property of others; for men forget the death of their father more quickly than the loss of their patrimony.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli