Synonyms

relinquish

American

[ri-ling-kwish] / rɪˈlɪŋ kwɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

to renounce or surrender (a possession, right, etc.).

to relinquish the throne.
to give up; put aside or desist from.

to relinquish a plan.

Synonyms:

resign, desert, forswear, quit, leave, abdicate, forego, waive, cede, yield
to let go; release.

to relinquish one's hold.

relinquish British

/ rɪˈlɪŋkwɪʃ /

verb

to give up (a task, struggle, etc); abandon
to surrender or renounce (a claim, right, etc)
to release; let go

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See abandon.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of relinquish

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English relinquissen, relinquisshen, from Middle French relinquiss-, long stem of relinquir ≪ Latin relinquere “to leave behind,” equivalent to re- re- + linquere “to leave” (akin to lend )

Explanation

If you relinquish something, you let it go. You relinquish control of the army when you resign as general. You relinquish your plan to sneak into town when your parents find out what's going on. Relinquish is also commonly used to mean physically letting go of something: The monkey wouldn't relinquish its grasp on the banana. Relinquish descends from Latin relinquere, from the prefix re-, "again" plus linquere, "to leave."

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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.

Unified approved a teacher-led petition to relinquish the school.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026

Nick Timoney's early converted try gave Ulster the perfect start, but Montpellier soon capitalised on mistakes to take a lead they would not relinquish.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

And it permits genetic donors to formally relinquish all parental rights over “the resulting children.”

From Slate • May 13, 2026

Wilson had been calling for Mussafer to relinquish his board seat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

Beowulf, badly bruised, refused to relinquish his hold.

From "Beowulf: A New Telling" by Robert Nye

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023