abate
Americanverb (used with object)
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abates,
present (3rd person singular)
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abated,
past participle, past
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abating
present participle
-
to reduce in amount, degree, intensity, etc.; lessen; diminish: to abate one's enthusiasm.
to abate a tax;
to abate one's enthusiasm.
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Law.
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to put an end to or suppress (a nuisance).
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to suspend or extinguish (an action).
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to annul (a writ).
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to deduct or subtract.
to abate part of the cost.
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to omit.
to abate all mention of names.
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to remove, as in stone carving, or hammer down, as in metalwork, (a portion of a surface) in order to produce a figure or pattern in low relief.
verb (used without object)
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abates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
abated,
past participle, past
-
abating
present participle
verb
-
to make or become less in amount, intensity, degree, etc
the storm has abated
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(tr) law
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to remove, suppress, or terminate (a nuisance)
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to suspend or extinguish (a claim or action)
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to annul (a writ)
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-
(intr) law (of a writ, legal action, etc) to become null and void
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(tr) to subtract or deduct, as part of a price
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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abatesimple
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abatessimple
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have abatedperfect
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has abatedperfect
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am abatingprogressive
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are abatingprogressive
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is abatingprogressive
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have been abatingperfect progressive
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has been abatingperfect progressive
Past
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abatedsimple
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had abatedperfect
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was abatingprogressive
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were abatingprogressive
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had been abatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of abate
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French abatre “to beat down,” equivalent to a- a- 5 + batre, from Late Latin batere for Latin battuere “to beat”; a- perhaps also understood as a- 3
Explanation
Something that abates becomes fewer or less intense. Your enthusiasm for skiing might abate after falling off a ski lift and getting a mouthful of snow. Abate comes from the Old French verb abattre, "to beat down," and means to reduce or become less intense or numerous. As an intransitive verb, it is often used with something physically, emotionally, or figuratively violent, as in "the flood of fan mail began to abate." Using it transitively, if you take measures to abate pollution or noise, you reduce them. Pronounce abate with the stress on the second syllable (uh-BATE).
Vocabulary lists containing abate
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The residents want a court to rule that Los Angeles must abate the nuisance on its properties, Wurman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
This isn’t going to abate as an issue over time, either.
From Slate ● Sep. 19, 2026
He said the correct Fed policy decision would be to stay on hold until these contradictory signals abate.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
With geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty unlikely to abate soon, SGX’s positioning as a multiasset risk-management platform is a critical differentiator.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
It took several seconds for the ringing in Ekon’s ears to abate.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
“This year, investors have been more sensitive to Shopify’s cost management and margin dilution, and we believe today’s print largely abates those concerns, and establishes an upward trajectory for FCF margins going forward,” Shao wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
“If the conflict abates by Monday sundown, coinciding with the start of the Jewish holiday Purim, the oil price spike could prove short-lived,” Kaneva wrote.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
As the drama reaches catharsis, the rain abates and the skies clear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
Then, in the depths of a recession, debts are settled, panic abates, green shoots appear, and banks begin lending more easily again — fueling a recovery that enables a new upswing.
From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
The wind abates, the sun comes out, the trail across is flat—frozen seawater—and the dogs are well rested.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
I’m referring to buying stocks that are beaten down by tax-loss selling in the last quarter of the year, which far more often than not rebound in January after that selling has abated.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
The frenzied scenes around this clammy building eventually abated, only for Faye Rogers to spark more bedlam with a rampant gold in the 200m individual medley SM10.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
“As tariff concerns eased and recession fears abated, the debasement narrative lost momentum,” he added.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
“It’s the predominance of this fear that they’ve heard in the media — and that’s largely abated — that a Democrat won’t make it to the runoff,” Mitchell said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
Key teammates rallied around him, and in time, the harassment abated.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
Fourth-quarter production is expected to grow by more than 3% when excluding the impact from the Middle East conflict, which is abating, it added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
For more than 100 days, Juni has been fighting wildfires that show only false signs of abating.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
“The Fed can credibly argue that labor cost pressures are abating, reducing urgency for additional hikes,” said Chris Osmond, chief investment officer of Fifth Third Wealth Advisors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Amid concerns over how officials are pursuing suspects, broader worries about wildfires are far from abating.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
He saw that he had a donor he could trust, maybe a WL who could be educated about the real challenges of abating poverty.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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