abstain

(ăb-stān', əb-)
intr.v., -stained, -stain·ing, -stains.

1. To refrain from something by one's own choice: abstain from traditional political rhetoric. See synonyms at refrain¹.
2. To refrain from voting: Forty senators voted in favor of the bill, 45 voted against it, and 15 abstained.

[Middle English absteinen, to avoid, from Old French abstenir, from Latin abstinēre, to hold back : abs-, ab-, away; see ab-¹ + tenēre, to hold.]

abstainer ab·stain'er n.

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verb

To hold oneself back: forbear, hold off, keep, refrain, withhold. See restraint/unrestraint.

v

Definition: hold back from doing
Antonyms: indulge, use

A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce

n.

A weak person who yields to the temptation of denying himself a pleasure. A total abstainer is one who abstains from everything but abstention, and especially from inactivity in the affairs of others.

    Said a man to a crapulent youth:  "I thought
        You a total abstainer, my son."
    "So I am, so I am," said the scrapgrace caught --
        "But not, sir, a bigoted one."
                                                                  G.J.

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IN BRIEF: To withhold something from oneself.

Henry decided to abstain from eating chocolate donuts.

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For a list of words related to abstain, see:

• Acts, Powers, Conditions, and Procedures - abstain: (vb) withhold one’s vote or participation

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See words rhyming with "abstainer."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Abstain.

Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - undlade, afholde sig fra

idioms:

• abstain from    undlade, afholde sig fra

Nederlands (Dutch)
zich onthouden (van stemming), geen alcohol drinken, bepaalde zaken niet eten/drinken

Français (French)
v. intr. - s'abstenir, s'abstenir complètement de (l'usage) des boissons alcoolisées

idioms:

• abstain from    s'abstenir de

Deutsch (German)
v. - sich enthalten, enthaltsam leben

idioms:

• abstain from    sich enthalten, enthaltsam leben

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - απέχω, κάνω αποχή, συγκρατούμαι

idioms:

• abstain from    αποφεύγω, κάνω αποχή από

Italiano (Italian)
astenersi

idioms:

• abstain from    astenersi da

Português (Portuguese)
v. - abster-se, privar-se

idioms:

• abstain from    abster-se de

Русский (Russian)
воздерживаться

idioms:

• abstain from    воздерживаться от чего-то

Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - privarse

idioms:

• abstain from    abstenerse de

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - avstå, avhålla sig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
戒, 避开, 自制, 弃权

idioms:

• abstain from    戒, 弃权, 避免

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 戒, 避開, 自制, 棄權

idioms:

• abstain from    戒, 棄權, 避免

한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 끊다

idioms:

• abstain from    절제하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 慎む, 絶つ, 棄権する

idioms:

• abstain from    絶つ, やめる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يمتنع‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - ‮נמנע, הדיר עצמו, ניזר‬

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