Abstain Meaning
/əbˈsteɪn/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbKeep or withhold oneself.
verbRefrain from (something or doing something); keep from doing, especially an indulgence.
Sentence Examples
Athletes usually abstain from smoking.
The doctor advised him to abstain from drinking.
CEFR Practice Quiz
During the vote, several members chose to ____ from casting a ballot.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He decided to ____ from alcohol for health reasons.
Word Origin & History
First attested around 1380. From Middle English absteynen, absteinen, abstenen, from Old French astenir, abstenir, from Latin abstineō (“to hold oneself back”) from abs- (“from”) + teneō (“to hold”). See also tenable.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Who abstains from meat that is not gaunt?"
— 1597, Shakespeare, Richard II, II-i:
"… she had made Bunting abstain very early in their acquaintance. … Glad she was now that he had taken the pledge as a younger man; but for that nothing would have kept him from the drink during the bad times they had gone through."
— 1913, Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes, The Lodger:
"[…]forcing a small portion of the population to abstain from voting"
— 1913, Thomas Babington Macaulay, A Short History of English Liberalism:
"Whether he abstain men from marying [sic]."
— 1645, John Milton, Tetrachordon: Expositions on the four chief places in Scripture:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
During the vote, several members chose to ____ from casting a ballot.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He decided to ____ from alcohol for health reasons.