Definitions for Abstain
æbˈsteɪnab·stain

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:2.3 / 3 votes

1. abstainverb

   refrain from voting

2. abstain, refrain, desistverb

   choose not to consume

   "I abstain from alcohol"

WiktionaryRate this definition:4.3 / 6 votes

1. abstainverb

   Refrain from (something); hold one's self aloof; to forbear or keep from doing, especially an indulgence of the passions or appetites; -- with from.

2. abstainverb

   To shun voluntarily.

3. abstainverb

   Deliberately refrain from casting one's vote at a meeting where one is present.

4. abstainverb

   Hinder; withhold.

5. Etymology: * First attested around 1380.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To ABSTAINverb

   To forbear, to deny one’s self any gratification; with the particle from.

   Etymology: abstineo, Lat.

   If thou judge it hard and difficult,
   Conversing, looking, loving, to abstain
   From love’s due rites, nuptial embraces sweet;
   And, with desires, to languish without hope. John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. x. l. 993.

   To be perpetually longing, and impatiently desirous of any thing, so that a man cannot abstain from it, is to lose a man’s liberty, and to become a servant of meat and drink, or smoke. Jeremy Taylor, Rule of living holy.

   Even then the doubtful billows scarce abstain
   From the toss’d vessel on the troubled main. John Dryden, Virgil.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Abstainverb

   to hold one's self aloof; to forbear or refrain voluntarily, and especially from an indulgence of the passions or appetites; -- with from

2. Abstainverb

   to hinder; to withhold

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Abstain

   abs-tān′, v.i. to hold or refrain from.—ns. Abstain′er, specially one who does not take alcoholic drinks; Absten′tion, a refraining. [Fr. abstenir—L. abs, from, tenēre, to hold. See Tenable.]

Matched Categories

1. • Refrain

Anagrams for Abstain »

1. Bastian

How to pronounce Abstain?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Abstain in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Abstain in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Abstain in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of Abstain in a Sentence

1. Azeem Ibrahim:

   I was surprised that( Muslim countries) would put it in writing and put their names on it and sign a document to actually praise China, it's one thing to keep quiet and abstain. It's another thing to overtly support( the policies) when there was no need for them to do so.

2. Niccolò Machiavelli:

   I consider it a mark of great prudence in a man to abstain from threats or any contemptuous expressions, for neither of these weaken the enemy, but threats make him more cautious, and the other excites his hatred, and a desire to revenge himself.

3. Zachary Taylor:

   As American freemen we can not but sympathize in all efforts to extend the blessings of civil and political liberty, but at the same time we are warned by the admonitions of history and the voice of our own beloved Washington to abstain from entangling alliances with foreign nations.

4. Greg Poling:

   The value of the case is the long term reputational damage and the pressure ... on the Chinese. That only works if you have a big coalition that can keep this in the public eye, but if the Chinese ... get a ton of countries to abstain that deflects a lot of that criticism.

5. Cortni Borgerson:

   A shellfish allergy increases the likelihood that you will be allergic to cicada, so it’s better to be safe than sorry and abstain from land arthropods if you can’t eat their sea swimming cousins.

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References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=Abstain
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Abstain
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=Abstain
4. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Abstain
5. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=Abstain