Meaning & use
abdicate
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
Of a king or queen: to give up the throne, formally ending one's rule.
Grammar: Usually no object: the king abdicated. It can also take 'the throne': abdicate the throne.
Patterns
- abdicate (the throne)
- abdicate in favor of someone
The king abdicated after only a few months on the throne.
The aging queen refused to abdicate the throne.
He abdicated in favor of his younger brother.
verbtransitivefigurative
To formally give up a duty, right, or responsibility that you are expected to keep.
Grammar: Takes an object: abdicate responsibility. This use is figurative, since the object is a duty rather than a crown.
Patterns
- abdicate responsibility
- abdicate power
- abdicate a role
You cannot abdicate responsibility for your own decisions.
The general promised to abdicate power after the elections.
She refused to abdicate her role as team leader before a successor was chosen.
Word forms
| third person singular | abdicates |
|---|---|
| past tense | abdicated |
| past participle | abdicated |
| -ing form | abdicating |
Common combinations
- abdicate the throne
- The king abdicated the throne in a short radio address.
- abdicate power
- The council called on the president to abdicate power peacefully.
- abdicate responsibility
- A manager should never abdicate responsibility when things go wrong.
- abdicate in favor of someone
- The queen abdicated in favor of her eldest son.
- formally abdicate
- The treaty required the ruler to formally abdicate within one year.
Synonyms and how they differ
- relinquish
- A formal transitive verb for giving up power or control; abdicate is most common for thrones and duties.
- resign
- Used for jobs and posts (resign from office); a monarch abdicates rather than resigns.
- renounce
- To publicly give up a claim, title, or belief; broader than abdicate and not always about power.
- step down
- An informal phrasal verb for leaving a role; abdicate sounds more formal and final.
Opposites
Word family
- abdication noun
- the act of giving up the throne or a duty.
Commonly confused: abdicate or abrogate?
abdicate vs abrogate
Both are formal verbs, but abrogate means to officially cancel a law or agreement, not to give up power or duty.
Practice
Choose the correct form: 'The king ___ the throne in 1936.'
Choose one answer.
The time phrase 'in 1936' marks a finished past event, so the past tense 'abdicated' is required. The base form, third-person form, and -ing form cannot follow a specific past time.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “abdicate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.