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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstaining
Verb
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Each time, Banchero was at the center of it, creating offense, absorbing contact and refusing to let the game slip entirely out of reach.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026 -
His process of doing so involved disparaging his accusers, browbeating people and institutions that no longer wanted to be associated with him, and refusing to accept a path that precluded a return to being a public figure.—
Elizabeth Spiers,
Vanity Fair,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Celtics also blocked three of the Sixers’ final four shots of the third, with Jordan Walsh, Brown and Vucevic all rejecting layups.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
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Jan Jones' embrace of Jackson could be the start of a tide of state House Republicans rejecting the lieutenant governor after years of feeling burned by his attempts to impose his will on the lower chamber.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That’s what was needed to justify turning down an offer with a big premium from a legitimate business — no matter the board’s preferred outcome for the company.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
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When that venture didn’t work out, Elliott returned to the recording business, turning down overtures from Emanuel, who was the best man at his wedding, to work as an agent.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trump has criticized European countries for rejecting or hesitating to get involved in the war with Iran.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
17 Apr. 2026
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The Academy seems comfortable celebrating individual excellence within horror while hesitating to crown its films as definitive achievements.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That is setting batteries up for a dual role as an enabler to putting more green energy on the grid and delaying the phase-out of fossil fuels.—
Mark Chediak,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
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Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was recently defeated in an election, had accused Ukraine of deliberately delaying repairs — an allegation that Zelenskyy denied.—
Karel Janicek,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Reports in 2024 and 2025 indicated declining health, including low blood pressure, dizziness and heart problems, but these claims could not be independently verified.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
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Now these countries, like much of the world, are facing declining birth rates that threaten to upend their economies.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
30 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Abstaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstaining. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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