abstain

/əbˈsteɪn/ verb [I]

Definition

NOT DO formal › to not do something that you enjoy because it is bad or unhealthy: The doctor suggested that he abstain from alcohol.

NOT VOTE › to choose not to vote for or against something: 63 members voted in favour, 39 opposed and 5 abstained.

abstention

/əbˈstenʃən/ noun [C, U]

(Definition of abstain verb from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

whatever happens

Read our blog about how the English language behaves.

Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.