1
as in surrendering
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abdicating
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of relinquishing
The Buffalo Bills lasted seven weeks in the pole position before relinquishing the title to the Kansas City Chiefs.
—
Scott Phillips, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Hamas has shown no signs of relinquishing power or its weapons.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 30 Dec. 2025
If the royal family represents symbolic capital, fashion operates on cultural capital, and Meghan’s motive since relinquishing her HRH title has been converting the one into the other.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2025
Lawyer Fleming said hundreds of people have made that choice, relinquishing rights to a legal hearing.
—Whitney Wild, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025
Philip Morris later purchased Nabisco and absorbed it into Kraft, before relinquishing control of the company in 2007.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
That appointment in turn led to Silvia Venturini Fendi relinquishing her creative duties to become honorary president of the Roman house.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 15 Dec. 2025
A lot of shonen protagonists have the grace to try and rescue their enemies, but My Hero Academia’s Deku stands out by also totally relinquishing his power, his most heroic act of all.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
McMillon said that as AI continues to proliferate and impact the ways that people’s lives and daily activities work, Walmart needs to stay an active part of the transformation, even if that means relinquishing control of how that technology evolves.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 4 Nov. 2025
Scott Phillips, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Hamas has shown no signs of relinquishing power or its weapons.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 30 Dec. 2025
If the royal family represents symbolic capital, fashion operates on cultural capital, and Meghan’s motive since relinquishing her HRH title has been converting the one into the other.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2025
Lawyer Fleming said hundreds of people have made that choice, relinquishing rights to a legal hearing.
—Whitney Wild, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025
Philip Morris later purchased Nabisco and absorbed it into Kraft, before relinquishing control of the company in 2007.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
That appointment in turn led to Silvia Venturini Fendi relinquishing her creative duties to become honorary president of the Roman house.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 15 Dec. 2025
A lot of shonen protagonists have the grace to try and rescue their enemies, but My Hero Academia’s Deku stands out by also totally relinquishing his power, his most heroic act of all.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
McMillon said that as AI continues to proliferate and impact the ways that people’s lives and daily activities work, Walmart needs to stay an active part of the transformation, even if that means relinquishing control of how that technology evolves.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relinquishing
Verb
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Despite surrendering a two-goal lead in the third period, the Panthers got the edge in the shootout with a winning goal from Brad Marchand.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
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Meekly surrendering the Carabao Cup over two legs against Manchester City 11 months later underlines the still-pending nature of their transformation into an elite outfit.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The United States, in other words, is not just abdicating its role in the current international system.—
ELIZABETH ECONOMY,
Foreign Affairs,
9 Dec. 2025
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After all, Perfidia explodes other archetypes, too—for instance, abdicating her roles as a mother and romantic partner to continue her work.—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
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After rendering a contemporary Native American community in specific, surreal, often hilarious detail in Reservation Dogs, Sterlin Harjo turned to noir with The Lowdown.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
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This method also had the practical downside of rendering my colander unusable for straining the rigatoni for my Wednesday-night pasta alla vodka.—
Alma Avalle,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Pawula was working for the Big Tent Coalition, a political action committee founded by Tim Ozinga, R-Mokena, who was state representative in the 37th House District before abruptly resigning in April 2024.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
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Fort Worth Independent School District Trustee Wallace Bridges is resigning from the school board after the district lost its appeal challenging a state takeover from the Texas Education Agency.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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However, Musk is known for delivering bold statements and shifting timelines.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
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Nationwide, with more than 3,000 robots delivering food between the two leading companies, the robots are gaining traction, visibility and some notoriety.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Margaret’s father succeeded him as King George VI, and her mother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, never forgave the duke for renouncing his duty to his country.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
29 Dec. 2025
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Ukraine withdrawing from all of the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and Kyiv officially renouncing its aim to join NATO.—
Andrea Shalal,
USA Today,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Stalin invaded in November of 1939, expecting a quick takeover, but the Finns inflicted many times more casualties on the Soviets before eventually ceding 11 percent of their territory and partial control over their foreign affairs.—
Boris Fishman,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
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Maybe these choices aren’t driven by a fear of ceding audience attention to TikTok so much as by fear of letting a taut story go slack.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Relinquishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relinquishing. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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