abstain

One such location, the city of Loma Linda, Calif., has a large population of Seventh-day Adventists, who are principally vegetarian, abstain from alcohol and tobacco, have close-knit social networks and exercise regularly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Marra came to a deal with Sarwar – he was allowed to abstain.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 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

Whatever Evie’s goals, it’s unlikely the issue will lead its readers to actually abstain until marriage.

From Salon ● May 8, 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

"But the truth is we know relatively little from this 50%, from this half of the population that abstains from electoral processes."

From Reuters ● Sep. 2, 2022

Mr Omipidan, on the other hand, abstains from providing commentary on the stories he posts.

From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2020

Like Trump, the former vice president has pointed to alcoholism in his family in explaining why he abstains.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 10, 2020

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

Mediobanca—itself Assicurazioni Generali’s top shareholder—last year saw an offer for Banca Generali derailed by its own investors, who failed to approve the move after a top shareholder abstained from the vote.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 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

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

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

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

He received a long ovation after getting 132 votes, with no member voting against him and one abstaining, according to the session's presiding member Ismael Diallo.

From Barron's ● May 26, 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

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

From Salon ● Dec. 17, 2025

The motion passed 4-0, with Supervisor Kathryn Barger abstaining.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 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