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Showing results for abdicate. Search instead for Bald+Pate.
Definitions
Trivia Time
Which king famously abdicated in 1936?

abdicate

[ab-di-kayt] / ˈæb dɪˌkeɪt /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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Any coach who says “I don’t want to know” where a transfer lives to escape accountability might want to start realizing an entire program can go down when they abdicate responsibility.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

“It is not enough to invoke ethics in the abstract; robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility are required,” he wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026

In 2006, when a popular uprising forced the king to abdicate, Thapa was already a prominent figure in the pro-democracy movement and had been jailed several times for his role in street protests.

From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026

Yet sometimes miracles happen, and Senates don’t entirely abdicate their constitutional advice and consent roles.

From Slate ● Oct. 4, 2025

“You should know that the king will soon abdicate his throne in favor of one of his children,” Madoc says, looking at all of us.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

It may serve his interests by distracting and deflecting but abdicates presidential responsibility.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2025

There's a lot of speculation over who might take over in her stead as Lakshmi abdicates her throne.

From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2023

The order of succession sets out which member of the Royal Family takes over as monarch when the existing one dies or abdicates.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2022

Better because it abdicates the throne of “is.”

From Slate ● May 14, 2019

While a monarch abdicates, a president or other elected or appointed officer resigns.

From English Synonyms and Antonyms With Notes on the Correct Use of Prepositions by James Champlin Fernald

The plan is to invest in “everything our country has outsourced and abdicated over recent decades,” Combs says.

From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026

Executives say the looser rules will allow them to compete more in corners of lending they have largely abdicated because of the capital costs, like to riskier companies or private-equity firms striking deals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

There is something quietly ironic about expecting municipal leaders to serve as democratic guardrails when we have collectively abdicated our own responsibility in even the simplest level of civic participation.

From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2026

Ayad Akhtar’s “McNeal,” which had its premiere last year at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater in a production starring Robert Downey Jr., failed precisely because it abdicated this responsibility.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025

“You’ve just come from Erhenrang; what are they saying there about these rumors that Argaven has in fact abdicated without announcement, handed the sledge over to his cousin?”

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

The king ascended the Scandinavian country's throne in January 1991 and has openly ruled out abdicating.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

“Do I recommend not getting involved? Yes,” she added, abdicating all responsibility for the safety of the neighborhood.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

"She is abdicating her duty, and this is something that she needs to decide, not a jury. It's a question of law, not a question of fact."

From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2024

Norway’s 86-year-old King Harald V, who has been hospitalized several times in recent months, has not indicated he’s considering abdicating in favor of his son, Crown Prince Haakon.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 11, 2024

He wanted to lie down in this redolent field, curl up in the green womb in the dazzling aura of these mountains, growing warm and drowsy under the sun, abdicating all responsibilities—and sleep.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols


Vocabulary lists containing abdicate

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