relinquish

verb

ri-ˈliŋ-kwish How to pronounce relinquish (audio)
Definition of relinquishnext
1
as in to surrender
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress the boy reluctantly relinquished the illegal fireworks to the police officer

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to abdicate
to give up (as a position of authority) formally the retiring CEO relinquished his position to the company's vice president with very mixed feelings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word relinquish different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of relinquish are abandon, resign, surrender, waive, and yield. While all these words mean "to give up completely," relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness.

relinquished her crown

Where would abandon be a reasonable alternative to relinquish?

While the synonyms abandon and relinquish are close in meaning, abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up.

abandoned all hope

In what contexts can resign take the place of relinquish?

The synonyms resign and relinquish are sometimes interchangeable, but resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle.

resigned her position

When is surrender a more appropriate choice than relinquish?

In some situations, the words surrender and relinquish are roughly equivalent. However, surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist.

surrendered their claims

When can waive be used instead of relinquish?

The words waive and relinquish can be used in similar contexts, but waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion.

waived the right to a trial by jury

When could yield be used to replace relinquish?

Although the words yield and relinquish have much in common, yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force.

the troops yielded ground grudgingly

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of relinquish The manager of Kennesaw’s controversial Civil War shop has agreed to relinquish the downtown store and several other properties that were subject to a lengthy fight over the late owner’s estate. —Shaddi Abusaid, AJC.com, 7 Feb. 2026 Sources around the league told The Athletic throughout deadline week that activity surrounding Sochan remained relatively quiet, leading teams to increasingly expect the Spurs would not relinquish him without receiving value in return. —Jared Weiss, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2026 Angell relinquished not only his role as chair, but as a board member entirely. —Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2026 There’s Brownie, a stray boa constrictor who was wandering in an apartment complex and Kiki, a shy kinkajou, who was relinquished when his caregiver became ill. —Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for relinquish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relinquish
  1. surrender
  2. abdicate
  3. render
  4. resign
  5. deliver
  6. renounce
  7. cede
Verb
  • Concerned about the safety of two children in the home, Aljorna and Sosa-Celis surrendered.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Arizona recently surrendered about a third of its allotted supply of the river through both mandatory and compensated voluntary cuts to keep Lake Mead from going dry.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
Definition of surrender
Verb
  • Healey has clearly decided to abdicate her responsibility to protect taxpayer money.
    — Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
  • One such royal family member was Grand Duke Emeritus Henri of Luxembourg, who abdicated in favor of his son last October.
    — Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 7 Feb. 2026
Definition of abdicate
Verb
  • Officers rendered aid until emergency services arrived, and the boy was taken to UofL Hospital.
    — Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Les Archives, located in Paris’ 6th arrondissement, is a secondhand designer store rendered entirely in millennial pink.
    — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of render
Verb
  • While Streeting was on-message with the rest of the Cabinet in supporting Starmer after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for the prime minister to resign, the secretary reportedly spoke with Sarwar in the days leading up to the call for Starmer to resign.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Laporta resigned from his role on Monday morning — at least temporarily.
    — Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Definition of resign
Verb
  • Keys delivered a flurry of winners to steal that set in a tiebreak, before pulling away.
    — James Hansen, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
  • However, Musk is known for delivering bold statements and shifting timelines.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Feb. 2026
Definition of deliver
Verb
  • Born rich, yet sought a life of poverty Born into a merchant family in the Umbrian town of Assisi, in present-day Italy, around 1181, Francis famously renounced his family’s wealth.
    — Vanessa Corcoran, The Conversation, 2 Feb. 2026
  • Through the request, Franyelis renounced her claim to seek asylum in the United States and asked Reingold to let her self-deport.
    — Maeva Bambuck, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
Definition of renounce
Verb
  • Many of his proposals for peace have heavily favored the Kremlin, including requiring Ukraine to cede territory to Russia.
    — DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS, Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Zelenskyy has refused to cede those territories voluntarily.
    — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of cede

Browse Nearby Words

religiousness
relinquish
relinquished
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Cite this Entry

“Relinquish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relinquish. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on relinquish

Nglish: Translation of relinquish for Spanish Speakers

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