abolish

verb

abol·​ish ə-ˈbä-lish How to pronounce abolish (audio)
abolished; abolishing; abolishes

transitive verb

: to end the observance or effect of (something, such as a law) : to completely do away with (something) : annul
abolish a law
abolish slavery
abolishable adjective
abolisher noun
abolishment noun

Examples of abolish in a Sentence

He is in favor of abolishing the death penalty. the U.S. abolished slavery by constitutional amendment on December 6, 1865
Recent Examples on the Web That’s because, on March 3, 1924, the leaders of the then-new, secular Turkish republic moved to abolish the institution that had prevailed in various forms for centuries, stretching back to the founding of Islam. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 On today's The Excerpt podcast, what if the government abolished your 401(k)? USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024 These are President Abraham Lincoln, who formally abolished slavery, and Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist who escaped slavery, whose birthdays are on the 12th and 14th of the month. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 5 Feb. 2024 In its ruling, the court said many Move Forward lawmakers had campaigned to abolish the lese majeste law, face charges under the royal defamation legislation, or used their position to bail out others charged under it. Helen Regan, CNN, 31 Jan. 2024 In 1865, the U.S. House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution abolishing slavery, sending it to states for ratification. Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2024 Mauritania is a West African nation battling discrimination and even slavery, despite the awful practice being abolished there in 1981. The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024 Twenty-nine states have either outright abolished the death penalty or halted it through executive action. Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Feb. 2024 Robert Badinter, a French lawyer and former justice minister who led the fight to abolish the death penalty in France and became one of the country’s most respected intellectual figures, died early Friday. Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abolish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English abolysshen, borrowed from Middle French aboliss-, stem of abolir "to abolish," borrowed from Latin abolēre "to destroy, efface, put an end to," perhaps formed from abolēscere "to shrivel up, be effaced, fall into disuse," from ab- ab- + -ol-, medial form of the base of alere "to nourish, bring up" + -ēsc-, inchoative suffix — more at old entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of abolish was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near abolish

Cite this Entry

“Abolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abolish. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

abolish

verb
abol·​ish ə-ˈbäl-ish How to pronounce abolish (audio)
: to do away with completely : put an end to
abolishable adjective
abolisher noun
abolishment noun

Legal Definition

abolish

transitive verb
abol·​ish
: to end the observance or effect of : annul

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