abdicating

verb

present participle of abdicate
as in relinquishing
to give up (as a position of authority) formally the revolutionary government forced Nicholas II to abdicate the Russian throne

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abdicating They’d be upset about Article One of the Constitution, the legislative branch abdicating its powers; that is, the people’s power to wage war and to levy tariffs. — Ken Burns, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2026 Dinello was right, and The Late Show eventually became late night’s ratings leader—a throne that CBS is now voluntarily abdicating. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026 Congress abdicating its authority. — Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026 In its most hostile version, the same qualities are recast as evidence of his succumbing to spectacle and abdicating basic architectural responsibility. — Julian Rose, Artforum, 26 Mar. 2026 Democratic leaders have accused Congress of abdicating its constitutional role, and some members plan to boycott the address or attend in silent protest. — Nik Popli, Time, 23 Feb. 2026 The United States, in other words, is not just abdicating its role in the current international system. — Elizabeth Economy, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2025 And if that’s true, what would prohibit Congress from just abdicating all responsibility to regulate foreign commerce, for that matter, declare war, to the president. — Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025 Far from abdicating responsibility, these young adults were embracing it and moving, however slowly, into their future roles of caring for us. — Don Riddell, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abdicating
  1. relinquishing
  2. resigning
  3. renouncing
Verb
  • America is the ultimate answer to the pogrom, and to the emancipation Europe offered on the condition of relinquishing Jewish ethnic and cultural distinctiveness.
    — Rory Lancman, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Giudice survived prison, divorce and years of family warfare without relinquishing her place at the center of New Jersey.
    — Maer Roshan, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of relinquishing
Verb
  • Any lawmaker who believes double-dipping is a good thing should think about resigning.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Topline White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is resigning from her role, according to a Wednesday statement, citing her desire to spend more time with her children and family following the birth of her daughter in May.
    — Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of resigning
Verb
  • In these photographs, the maternal body enters spaces designed around seduction, aspiration, and idealized femininity without renouncing any of them.
    — Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The 2019 Business Roundtable statement renouncing MSV changed rhetoric.
    — Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of renouncing

Browse Nearby Words

abdicates
abdicating
abdication
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Abdicating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abdicating. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on abdicating

Nglish: Translation of abdicating for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zeugma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All