Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use abstain in a sentence

19 example sentences · verb

Abstain means keep or withhold oneself. Example: “In order to improve his health, Rob decided to abstain from smoking.”

Examples of abstain by meaning

verbRefrain from (something or doing something); keep from doing, especially an indulgence.

  • In order to improve his health, Rob decided to abstain from smoking.

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

  • I abstain from this vote, as I have no particular preference.

More sentences with abstain

  • For quotations using this term, see Citations:abstained.From the entry abstained
  • He manages to abstain from smoking for weeks at a time, but then gives in and starts again.From the entry at a time
  • John achieved 25 pounds in weight loss after abstaining from soda and running two miles in the morning every day.From the entry weight loss
  • “But fully abstaining customers are a very small subset of our consumer base.”2023 May 28, Alice Lascelles, quoting Nick Bodkins, “What’s the buzz?”, in HTSI, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 61. From the entry imbiber
  • Ballots usually last 30–60 days, during which balloters can approve, disapprove or abstain with or without comments.2018, Saad Asif, 5G Mobile Communications: Concepts and Technologies. From the entry balloter
  • Then when we have overdoctored and misdoctored shall we abstain or reform.2014, Thomas Parker Boyd, The Voice Eternal. From the entry misdoctor
  • The third precept undertaken by the novice is abstaining from incelibacy.2013, William M. Johnston, Encyclopedia of Monasticism, →ISBN. From the entry incelibacy
  • His antitelevision campaign included a proposal that Germans abstain one day each week from watching television.2008, David P. Conradt, The German Polity, page 73. From the entry antitelevision
  • “Abstain from swineflesh, blood, things offered to idols, and carrion”2007, James D. Tabor, The Jesus Dynasty. From the entry swineflesh
  • I undertake the training rule to abstain from incelibacy.1997, Dinty W. Moore, The Accidental Buddhist: Mindfulness, Enlightenment, and Sitting Still, →ISBN. From the entry incelibacy
  • If a government says to citizens, “We will punish you for abstaining, unless you jump through the following legal hoops,” it is still coercing citizens.2014, Jason Brennan, Lisa Hill, Compulsory Voting: For and Against, page 19. From the entry jump through hoops
  • Hooverizers abstained from certain foods on one or two days of the week; for example, wheatless Mondays and porkless Thursdays and Saturdays.2005, Rosemarie Ostler, Dewdroppers, Waldos, and Slackers: A Decade-by-Decade Guide to the Vanishing Vocabulary of the Twentieth Century…. From the entry Hooverizer
  • Whenever I started drinking again after abstaining for any period of time, it usually was an effort to relieve stress and to "happy up."2001, John L. Bullion, “Jokes”, in In the Boat with LBJ, Plano, Tex.: Republic of Texas Press, →ISBN, page 294. From the entry happy
  • The procedures should also make plain that a decisional official, whether or not challenged, may voluntarily abstain from participating in a particular proceeding.1980, P. L. Strauss, “Disqualifications of Decisional Officials in Rulemaking”, in Columbia Law Review, volume 80, number 5, page 1050. From the entry decisional
  • During the course of the day we know how to face acute hunger, and learn the value of abstaining from using our eatables and drinkables.1931, Qassim Ali Jairazbhoy, Fear Allah and take your own part, page 112. From the entry drinkable
  • T abstained from the "Wolf of Wall Street"-esque extracurriculars on grounds that he didn't agree with Cubik Partners' definition of "fun," per his testimony in court.2022 November 25, B. Cost, “Man wins legal right to be 'boring' at work, gets $3K from company”, in New York Post, NYP Holdings, archived…. From the entry -esque
  • Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines vegan as: A strict vegetarian who consumes no animal food or dairy products; also: one who abstains from using animal products (as leather).2009, Celine Steen, Joni Marie Newman, 500 Vegan Recipes: An Amazing Variety of Delicious Recipes, From Chilis and Casseroles to Crumbles…. From the entry animal food

Meaning of abstain

  1. verb Keep or withhold oneself.
  2. verb Refrain from (something or doing something); keep from doing, especially an indulgence.
  3. verb To refrain from drinking alcohol.

Full definition of abstain

Questions about abstain in a sentence

How do you use abstain in a sentence?
Abstain is used as a verb. For example: “In order to improve his health, Rob decided to abstain from smoking.”
What is a short sentence with abstain?
“For quotations using this term, see Citations:abstained.”
What does abstain mean?
Abstain means keep or withhold oneself.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: abstain (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use abstain in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/abstain. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.