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
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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
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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.
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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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Green Bay has struggled mightily against the run, surrendering an average of 198 rushing yards in the last three games.—
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The suspect drove around the area before surrendering to police in Atwater Village.—
Verb
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The United States, in other words, is not just abdicating its role in the current international system.—
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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.—
Verb
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However, the amount of money actually saved by the department has been called into question and Musk has since left the administration, rendering DOGE somewhat defunct.—
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However, the amount of money actually saved by the department has been called into question and Musk has since left the administration, rendering DOGE somewhat defunct.—
Verb
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Runcie ended up resigning in 2021, after a statewide grand jury indicted him on a perjury charge.—
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Instead of resigning yourself to this mess, this hanging toiletry bag is an excellent storage hack that will keep everything from hair products to skincare in one neat, easy-to-locate pouch.—
Verb
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As Su highlighted in her address, AI applications range from the lab bench to delivering healthcare, flying airplanes, to household robots, and much more.—
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Volunteer opportunities include assisting senior shoppers and restocking shelves at the organization’s grocery store, translating materials, packing groceries in the warehouse or delivering bags to senior residences.—
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.—
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Ukraine withdrawing from all of the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and Kyiv officially renouncing its aim to join NATO.—
Verb
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Once the dominant player in chips, Intel has struggled to keep pace with rivals over the past decade, ceding ground to Qualcomm and Nvidia in crucial areas like mobile and AI.—
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That was the fate of the East European Communist dictatorships, in a variety of ways—Wojciech Jaruzelski of Poland reluctantly ceding power to Lech Wałęsa and Polish democrats, or Nicolae Ceauşescu ending up riddled with his soldiers’ bullets.—
Cite this Entry
“Relinquishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relinquishing. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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