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.

Still, he plans to relinquish his chief executive role after 25 years and a half century at Comcast.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026

Donahue "will relinquish command on July 2, 2026," Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said in a statement that did not provide a reason for the general's departure after an unusually short 18-month stint in the job.

From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026

He whiffed and, as his belly careened iceward, made a desperate swat at the puck that lifted it over the glove of the Vegas goalie to give the Hurricanes a lead they’d never relinquish.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026

SpaceX paid Tuttle Capital Management to relinquish the ticker symbol “SPCX” ahead of the Elon Musk company’s highly anticipated IPO, MarketWatch has learned.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

“We will not relinquish the children without a court order.”

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

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