relinquish
Americanverb (used with object)
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relinquishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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relinquished,
past participle, past
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relinquishing
present participle
verb
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to give up (a task, struggle, etc); abandon
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to surrender or renounce (a claim, right, etc)
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to release; let go
Synonym Usage
See abandon.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonrelinquishmentnoun
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relinquishernoun
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relinquishmentnoun
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unrelinquishedadjective
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unrelinquishingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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relinquishsimple
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relinquishessimple
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have relinquishedperfect
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has relinquishedperfect
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am relinquishingprogressive
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are relinquishingprogressive
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is relinquishingprogressive
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have been relinquishingperfect progressive
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has been relinquishingperfect progressive
Past
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relinquishedsimple
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had relinquishedperfect
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was relinquishingprogressive
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were relinquishingprogressive
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had been relinquishingperfect progressive
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."
Vocabulary lists containing relinquish
The Declaration of Independence
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The Giver
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 4
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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:
North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in 2022 and vowed never to relinquish its weapons, of which it is estimated, external to possess dozens.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
“Coordination, not subordination,” Sheinbaum said Friday, reiterating a motto emphasizing that Mexico will not relinquish its sovereignty in response to U.S. pressure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
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
Consider George Washington, whose humility and repeated decisions to relinquish power rather than cling to it, became the young republic’s most imperative precedent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
As it happened, Butler never had time to finish his expletive, because he wisely chose that moment to relinquish his grip.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
He also said that the Board of Peace intends to take possession of Hamas’ weapons when it relinquishes them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
If an individual voluntarily relinquishes all future Social Security retirement benefits, why shouldn’t they be allowed to assume that risk themselves?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Assuming the U.S. relinquishes control of Venezuela to an elected government that sets stable rules, companies may well find a way to profit there over the long term.
From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026
More likely the U.S. aims to signal to Mr. Maduro that his life expectancy will improve if he relinquishes power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025
She relinquishes my arm and lifts my chin.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
The “Nashville” and “Ice Princess” star welcomed their daughter in 2014 but relinquished full custody to Klitschko in 2018.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Then there is Amit Bhatia, who had been a director and co-owner of Queens Park Rangers for the last 18 years until he relinquished his ownership stake in the Championship club on 21 July.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
U.S. natural gas futures relinquished intraday gains and settled fractionally lower despite a 32 Bcf weekly inventory build that landed at the low end of market estimates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
His thinking evolved during his career, but he never fully relinquished his Randian support of laissez-faire economies free from government intervention.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
Then Griphook relinquished him, clapped his hands together, and said, “So. We begin!”
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Washington, meanwhile, famously made relinquishing power part of his own legacy.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Root has sparkled since relinquishing the captaincy, averaging over 54 since June 2022 compared to an average of 46.44 in the five years prior and scoring 16 of his 41 Test centuries.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Sony Group has spent billions of dollars on acquisitions in recent years to beef up its entertainment content while relinquishing control of businesses in other areas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
While Rhaenyra’s story will touch on “the more sinister side of relinquishing doubt,” D’Arcy considers that there is, perhaps, “a more positive side to that too.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Hrothgar went back to his high, carved chair, relinquishing the bowl to the noblest of his thanes, and sat like an old man listening inside his mind to the voices of his childhood.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
