SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
abstain
verb
To choose not to participate in or consume something.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Choose not to take part
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topAbstain commonly takes from; avoiding something does not always imply a deliberate abstention.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See abstain in use
She decided to abstain from the vote because she had not read the proposal.
Several members chose to abstain from an optional walking tour because the written plans already answered the questions they needed to examine.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license