ABSTAIN DEFINITIONS - 11 definitions found
abstain v 1: refrain from voting 2: choose not to consume; "I abstain from alcohol" [syn: abstain, refrain, desist] [ant: consume, have, ingest, take, take in] abstain bastian Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) abstain intransitive verb Etymology: Middle English absteinen, from Anglo-French asteign-, absteign-, stem of astenir, abstenir, from Latin abstinēre, from abs-, ab- + tenēre to hold — more at thin Date: 14th century to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self-denial from an action or practice <abstain from drinking> • abstainer noun Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary abstain (abstains, abstaining, abstained) 1. If you abstain from something, usually something you want to do, you deliberately do not do it. (FORMAL) Abstain from sex or use condoms... Do you drink alcohol, smoke, or abstain? VERB: V from n, V 2. If you abstain during a vote, you do not use your vote. Three Conservative MPs abstained in the vote. VERB: V English Explanatory Dictionary abstain əbˈsteɪn v.intr. 1 a (usu. foll. by from) restrain oneself; refrain from indulging in (abstained from cakes and sweets; abstained from mentioning it). b refrain from drinking alcohol. 2 formally decline to use one's vote. øøabstainer n. [ME f. AF astener f. OF abstenir f. L abstinere abstent- (as AB-, tenere hold)] Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Abstain \Ab*stain"\, v. t. To hinder; to withhold. Whether he abstain men from marrying. --Milton. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Abstain \Ab*stain"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Abstained; p. pr. & vb. n. Abstaining.] [OE. absteynen, abstenen, OF. astenir, abstenir, F. abstenir, fr. L. abstinere, abstentum, v. t. & v. i., to keep from; ab, abs + tenere to hold. See Tenable.] To hold one's self aloof; to forbear or refrain voluntarily, and especially from an indulgence of the passions or appetites; -- with from. Not a few abstained from voting. --Macaulay. Who abstains from meat that is not gaunt? --Shak. Syn: To refrain; forbear; withhold; deny one's self; give up; relinquish. Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms abstain v. n. Refrain, forbear, desist, deny one's self, hold or keep one's self back, stay one's hand, keep one's self from indulgence. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 45 Moby Thesaurus words for "abstain": abnegate, abstain from, avoid, constrain, cop out, curb, decline, dispense with, do without, duck the issue, eschew, evade, evade the issue, forbear, forgo, hold, hold aloof from, hold back, hold off, keep, keep back, keep from, keep in hand, let alone, let go by, never touch, not touch, not use, pass up, refrain, refrain from, refuse, reject, reserve, save, shun, sit it out, spare, spurn, stand aloof from, stand neuter, straddle, trim, waive, withhold |
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