Meaning & use
abeyance
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Meaning
nounusually singularlegalformal
A state of being temporarily suspended or inactive while people expect it to begin again later.
Grammar: Almost always singular and used with in, into, hold, leave, fall, or lapse; not usually counted.
Patterns
- in abeyance
- into abeyance
- hold something in abeyance
- leave something in abeyance
- fall into abeyance
The committee left the proposal in abeyance until more data arrived.
After the director resigned, several appointments fell into abeyance.
The court kept enforcement of the order in abeyance for thirty days.
Common combinations
- hold in abeyance
- The board decided to hold the decision in abeyance until next quarter.
- fall into abeyance
- The tradition fell into abeyance during the years the hall was closed.
- leave a matter in abeyance
- We should leave the matter in abeyance rather than vote without facts.
- temporary abeyance
- A temporary abeyance of the rules allowed families more time to apply.
Synonyms and how they differ
- suspension
- Suspension is the general word for stopping something for a period; abeyance stresses expectation of later renewal in formal contexts.
- dormancy
- Dormancy suggests inactivity like sleep and is common in biology or business, while abeyance is formal and often legal or institutional.
- hiatus
- A hiatus is simply a pause or gap, without the strong implication that a formal process will resume.
- deferral
- A deferral means putting something off to a later time, usually by decision, not a state of suspended existence.
Opposites
Word family
- abeyant adjective
- Temporarily suspended or inactive, especially when revival is expected.
Commonly confused: abeyance or absence?
abeyance vs absence
Absence means something or someone is not present; abeyance means a process or right is paused but expected to resume.
Practice
Which phrase correctly completes the sentence: “The project was put ___ until funding improved.”
Choose one answer.
The fixed formal phrase is “in abeyance,” meaning temporarily suspended. “Absence” means not present, “arise” does not fit the noun pattern, and “abhor” is a verb meaning hate.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “abeyance”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.