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.
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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
Such “orphaned” voters — those left without a candidate of their party in a general election — are historically just as likely to abstain from voting or to vote based on far less strategic considerations.
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
Though I follow the rules and routines of convent life, Angelina will not allow me to abstain from meat, as the sisters do.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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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
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Botelho said Lula will attempt to rally those who cast blank votes, and the 33 million who abstained -- representing 21 percent of registered voters.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
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
Norway's football federation abstained and argued the bidding process undermined "Fifa's reforms for good governance" and challenged "trust in Fifa".
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Supervisors Kathryn Barger, Janice Hahn and Holly Mitchell abstained from voting on the motion to extend the protection, while Supervisors Hilda Solis and Horvath supported it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
More than a third of the senators abstained from voting.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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Some Americans are abstaining for health and wellness reasons, others because of cost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Members of the Senedd voted on Tuesday 39 to 10 to bring in the ban, with two MSs abstaining.
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2026
Most voters our columnist spoke with are following the new rule to watch everything, or abstaining from certain categories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
The tally was 29-0 for approval, with Gilbert’s Cavaliers abstaining.
From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 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
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Vocabulary lists containing abstain
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Electoral Elocution: The Verbiage of Voting
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