abstains

verb

present tense third-person singular of abstain
as in refuses

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstains
  1. refuses
  2. rejects
  3. turns down
  4. hesitates
Verb
  • Why this 78-year-old professor refuses to move Marvin's frustration goes beyond having robots share the sidewalk.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The wart that refuses to go away is whatever is up with Vicki and Tamra.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of refuses
Verb
  • However, a large percentage of the Brazilian electorate also consistently rejects the prospect of voting for another Bolsonaro for president.
    — David Unsworth, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Human Rights Watch said those expulsions amounted to war crimes, a charge that Israel rejects.
    — Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of rejects
Verb
  • The candidate who turns down your offer doesn’t necessarily go on to repeat what was heard.
    — Jon Michail, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Pairing a floral sundress with a pair of white sneakers turns down the volume on the feminine formality, making the classic piece a bit less fussy.
    — Amber Rambharose, InStyle, 18 June 2026
Definition of turns down
Verb
  • Deanna hesitates, still wounded by the estrangement, but opens the house again.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Much of the film plays out in close-up as Alex watches, plays, thinks, hesitates.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of hesitates
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.

Browse Nearby Words

abstaining (from)
abstains
abstains (from)
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Cite this Entry

“Abstains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstains. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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