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.

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

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

German Chancellor Fredriech Merz said it had not been a "good decision" for the US to abstain.

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025

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