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:
He said it was unlikely that these key figures would relinquish their direct influence over militias loyal to them and remain satisfied with their formal positions alone.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Bauers delivered the knockout blow in Milwaukee’s 6-2 victory on Wednesday, smashing a go-ahead, two-run home run off ace Blake Snell to give the Brewers a lead they would never relinquish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
BorderPlex is set to receive a payment from Oracle to relinquish the rights BorderPlex held to the project’s land and power, some of the people said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in 2022 and vowed never to relinquish its weapons, of which it is estimated to possess dozens.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
But if I wanted a future with my family—with Liam—then I had to relinquish my control.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
July 21: Israel relinquishes control of some towns in Lebanon to the country’s government after U.S.-brokered talks, though early snags include an alleged shooting by Israeli troops near Lebanese forces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 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
On Thursday, Venezuela's parliament adopted reforms that offer greater guarantees to private players, relinquishes state control of exploration, and lowers taxes.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
It doesn’t matter if I fight Jon, if he relinquishes the belt, if he waits it out for a bit and then we fight, whatever.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2024
He relinquishes Anna from his grasp and takes a step towards me.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
Mr. Hilton relinquished his British citizenship in 2021, becoming American.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The site is currently taking in 20 to 30 horses a month, and the charity across the UK saying it has seen a "160% surge in relinquished horses in recent years".
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
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
The man took Thirty-six from Claire, who relinquished him reluctantly.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
That means that relinquishing U.S. citizenship is a choice, not a requirement.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Breathing life into the liberty-virtue synthesis might require relinquishing the vocabulary of fusionism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
He then insists that the FFE plan "did not involve relinquishing Fifa's control or authority over sporting decisions. Obviously!"
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Lilly Cassirer Neubauer escaped Germany at the dawn of World War II by relinquishing to a Nazi art broker the exquisite impressionist masterpiece “Rue Saint-Honoré in the Afternoon. Effect of Rain,” by Camille Pissarro.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
"I didn't know this was a pajama party," Turtle said, relinquishing her chair and stomping to the far end of the table.
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
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