abandon yourself to something verb literary to feel an emotion so strongly that you let it control you completely * She abandoned herself to grief. * He abandoned himself to despair. * He abandoned himself to his emotions.

abase yourself verb formal to behave in a way that shows you accept that someone has complete power over you * The members of the Political Executive Committee abased themselves once more. * She won’t abase herself by listening to his criticism.

abate verb formal to become less strong or decrease * We waited for the wind/storm to abate. * The storm showed no sign of abating. * They waited for the crowd’s fury to abate. * Public anger does not appear to be abating. * The storm/wind/rain has started to abate. * The fighting in the area shows no sign of abating. * The excitement has abated. * The storms had abated by the time they rounded Cape Horn. * Steps are to be taken to abate pollution. * The pain in my shoulder abated after a day. * The town abated taxes on new businesses. * Our desire for consumer goods has not abated. * Gains in oil prices are unlikely to abate within the next few months. * Inflation is finally showing signs of abating. * The mayor plans to abate air pollution in the city by limiting traffic. * By the weekend, the storms had abated. * Public anger does not appear to be abating. * The level of wage settlements has shown no signs of abating in recent months.

abdicate (your) responsibility verb formal to refuse to be responsible for something, when you should be or were before * The federal government has largely abdicated its responsibility in dealing with housing needs. * The government cannot abdicate responsibility for national security. * The government abdicated its responsibility to provide a good education to all citizens. * Many parents simply abdicate all responsibility for their children. * She abdicated all responsibility for the project. abdication noun formal * The council denied that their decision represented any abdication of responsibility. * I think it’s an abdication of your responsibility if you don’t vote.

aberrant adjective formal not usual or not socially acceptable * Ian’s rages and aberrant behavior worsened.

aberration noun formal a fact, an action or a way of behaving that is not usual, and that may be unacceptable * The losses this year are an aberration, and the company will continue to grow. * A childless woman was regarded as an aberration, almost a social outcast. * In a moment of aberration, she agreed to go with him. * I’m sorry I’m late – I had a mental aberration and forgot we had a meeting today. * The fact that he is late for our meeting is an aberration; he’s normally on time. * It became very clear that the incident was not just an aberration, it was not just a single incident. * The drop in our school’s test scores was dismissed as an aberration. * For her, such a low grade on an exam was an aberration.

(aid and) abet verb formal to help or encourage somebody to do something wrong * He was abetted in the deception by his wife. * She abetted the thief in his getaway. * Did he abet the commission of a crime? * Their actions were shown to abet terrorism. * She is charged with aiding and abetting the thief in his getaway. * She stands accused of aiding and abetting the crime. * His wife was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for aiding and abetting him. * He was charged with aiding and abetting a wanted criminal. * Shady lawyers abetted the company’s officers in stealing the funds. * His accountant had aided and abetted him in the fraud. * Three tax inspectors were accused of aiding and abetting the men charged with fraud. * Prosecutors argued that he aided and abetted in illegal drug cultivation and sale. * That man was jailed because he aided and abetted a friend who robbed a bank.

(in) abeyance noun formal something such as a custom, rule or system that is in abeyance is not being used at the present time * Legal proceedings are in abeyance, while further enquiries are made. * The Russian threat is, at least, in abeyance. * Hostilities between the two groups have been in abeyance since last June. * The project is being held in abeyance until agreement is reached on funding it. * A decision is being held in abeyance until more information is available. * The plans are in abeyance. * The plans are being held in abeyance.

abhor verb formal to hate a kind of behavior or way of thinking, especially because you think it is morally wrong * She abhors violence. * She abhors bad table manners. * I abhor discrimination of any kind. * The great majority of the Irish people have always abhorred violence. * The president abhorred all forms of racism. * I abhor all forms of racism. * They abhor violence/racism. * She simply abhors exercise and hates to diet. * He was a man who abhorred violence and was deeply committed to reconciliation. * His opponent abhors the death penalty. * Because he always wound up kicking himself in the head when he tried to play soccer, Oswald began to abhor the sport.

abhorrence noun formal a feeling of strong hatred, especially for moral reasons * The thought of marrying him filled her with abhorrence. * He had an abhorrence of waste of any kind. * They are anxious to show their abhorrence of racism. * She looked at him in/with abhorrence. * She has an abhorrence of change. * She has an abhorrence of violence.

abhorrent (to) adjective formal something that is abhorrent is completely unacceptable because it seems morally wrong = repugnant * The practice of killing animals for food is utterly abhorrent to me. * The thought of failing is abhorrent to him. * His cruelty to animals is abhorrent. * She finds violence in films abhorrent. * It was an abhorrent crime. * Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. * Racism is abhorrent to the majority of people. * Racism discrimination is abhorrent to my council and our staff. * Racism of any kind is abhorrent to me. * His attitude of superiority is abhorrent.

abide by something phrasal verb formal to accept and obey a decision, rule, agreement etc., even though you may not agree with it * You have to abide by the referee’s decision. * You’ll have to abide by the rules of the club. * We will abide by their decision. * We have to abide by the rules. * They promise to abide by our decision. * They have got to abide by the rules. * Competitors must abide by the judge’s decision. * I will abide by the judge’s decision. * Though he did not agree with the decision, Chuck decided to abide by it.

abiding adjective formal an abiding feeling or belief continues for a long time and is not likely to change * Phil has a deep and abiding love for his family. * As a boy he had had an abiding love curiosity about how things worked. * He had an abiding belief in the power of justice. * She has an abiding love of art. * They enjoyed an abiding friendship. * His father had an abiding interest in nature. * She had a basic and abiding belief in democratic systems. * The internal security of his country was the President’s other abiding concern. * He is an artist with an abiding concern for humanity. * He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft. * My abiding memory is of him in the garden. * My abiding memory is of him watering his plants in the garden. * I have an abiding desire to become a teacher. * Muir had an abiding interest in dogs.

ab initio adverb formal from the beginning * The agreement was declared void ab initio. * The entire process must be repeated ab initio. * In view of these omissions, the proceedings to recover possession fail ab initio.

abject poverty/misery/failure formal the state of being extremely poor, unhappy, unsuccessful * Both of them died in abject poverty. * This scheme was an abject failure. * They live in abject poverty. * In a slum, people live in abject poverty. * They live in abject misery/poverty. * The project ended in abject failure. * This policy has turned out to be an abject failure. * My experiment was an abject failure. * After losing all her money, falling into a puddle, and breaking her ankle, Eloise was abject.

abject adjective formal without any pride or respect for yourself * He is almost abject in his respect for his boss. * He is an abject liar. * He offered an abject apology. * She thought he was an abject coward. * She had to appease him with the most abject of apologies.

abjure verb formal to say formally or publicly that you no longer agree with a belief or way of behaving: * He abjured his religion/his life of dissipation. * He abjured allegiance to his native country. * To prove his honesty, the President abjured the evil policies of his wicked predecessor.

ablution noun formal the act of washing yourself * Ablution is part of some religious ceremonies. * I must just perform my ablutions! * He performed his daily ablutions before having breakfast.

abnegate verb formal to not allow you to have something, especially something you like or want; to not accept something, or to say that you do not have something * to abnegate responsibility/guilt * He walked away, choosing to abnegate responsibility. * The government could not abnegate responsibility for the defects. * The man decided to abnegate the habit of smoking after the birth of his daughter. * No strict law does not mean that we just abnegate responsibility for what we put up on the internet. * The CEO decided to abnegate his responsibilities to his subordinates. * It seems that we have long abnegated our responsibility towards the environment. * He had long abnegated his claim for the throne but fate would one day make him the king.

abnegation verb formal the act of not allowing yourself to have something that you want; the act of rejecting something * The abnegation of his property to the trust was not a decision that was supported by his wife and she challenged it in court. * The holy man slept on the floor, took only cold showers, and generally followed other practices of abnegation.

abode noun formal the place where somebody lives no fixed abode formal homeless * Welcome to my humble abode. * You are most welcome to my humble abode. * He was a wanderer with no permanent abode. * The phone book lists his abode at 370 West 58TH Street. * I went round the streets and found his new abode. * The cottage became their abode for the summer. * He voted to allow 50,000 Hong Kong families the right of abode in Britain. * How long has this been his principal place of abode? * He has no fixed abode. * 30 per cent of psychiatric hospital beds are occupied by people of no fixed abode. * The defendant is of no fixed abode. * Three men, all of no fixed abode, appeared in court charged with violent disorder. * He has the right of abode in the UK.

abominable adjective formal extremely unpleasant or of very bad quality * The judge described the attack as an abominable crime. * It was an abominable crime. * We were served the most abominable coffee. * We had abominable weather all week. * His behavior was abominable. * The President described the killings as an abominable crime. * The prisoners are forced to live in abominable conditions. * The weather's been abominable all week. * Her cruel treatment of others is abominable. * The abominable working conditions made many workers sick. abominably adverb formal * Mavis behaved abominably. * She treated him abominably. * Chloe has behaved abominably. * Wallis was often abominably rude. * He behaved abominably towards her.

abominate verb formal to feel hatred or disgust for something/somebody * He abominates cruelty of all kinds. * We abominate jokes that make fun of people who have mental or physical disabilities

abomination noun formal someone or something that is extremely offensive or unacceptable * Slavery was an abomination. * I never cook with that abomination called “cooking wine”. * Cruelty to animals is an abomination. * The murder of those children was an abomination. * Some people view the sculpture as art while others see it as an abomination.

abroad adverb formal being talked about or felt by many people * Corporations do not want their commercial secrets spread abroad. * There was news abroad that a change was coming. * There’s a rumor abroad that he will be forced to resign. * There's a rumor abroad that she intends to leave the company. * There are rumors abroad that the company is in trouble. * A feeling of unease has been abroad these last few weeks.

abrogate verb formal to officially end a law, an agreement, etc. * Both governments voted to abrogate the treaty. * The rule has been abrogated by mutual consent. * The next prime minister could abrogate the treaty. * The treaty was abrogated in 1929. * The opposition party pledged to abrogate the law if they won the election. * The Bill of Rights assures that the government cannot abrogate our right to a free press. * The company's directors are accused of abrogating their responsibilities.

abscond (from) verb formal to escape from a place that you are not allowed to leave without permission * The boy absconded from a children’s home. * She absconded from every children’s home they placed her in. * He was put into jail but absconded within a few days. * Two prisoners absconded last night. * He was ordered to appear the following day, but absconded. * A dozen inmates have absconded from Forest Jail in the past year. * She absconded from boarding school with her boyfriend. * The suspect absconded to Canada. * Several prisoners absconded from the jail.

abscond (with) verb formal to secretly leave somewhere, taking with you something that does not belong to you * He has to convince a judge that he wasn’t going to abscond with the money. * He absconded with the company funds. * They absconded with $100,000 of the company’s money. * Unfortunately, his partners were crooks and absconded with the funds. * The thief absconded with the jewels. * In the confusion, the super-spy absconded into the night with the secret plans.

absent yourself (from something) verb formal to not go to or be in a place where you are expected to be * He absented himself from the meeting. * He has absented himself from the office for the day. * You cannot choose to absent yourself (from work/school) on a whim.

absent prep formal in the absence of (something) * Absent any objections, the plan will proceed. * Absent such an agreement we can go no further. * Absent a solution, people like Sue Godfrey will just keep on fighting. * Absent a detailed plan, the project was doomed from the start.

(in) absentia noun formal when you are not at a court or an official meeting where a decision is made about you * The court found Collins guilty in absentia. * Two foreign suspects will be tried in absentia. * He was tried in absentia and sentenced to seven years in prison. * University degrees may be awarded in absentia. * They presented the award to him in absentia. * An Italian court convicted him in absentia for his terrorist activities. * She was convicted of the crime in absentia.

absolution noun formal the act of forgiving someone, especially in the Christian religion, for something bad that they have done or thought * Pope Leo gave him absolution. * She felt as if his words had granted her absolution. * She was granted/given absolution. * Once all the facts were known, the jury gave Angela absolution by giving a verdict of not guilty. * He asked the priest to give/grant him absolution for his sins. * In some religions, a priest can give absolution to someone who has done something wrong.

absolve (from/of) verb formal to state formally that somebody is not guilty or responsible for something; to give absolution to someone * He cannot be absolved of all responsibility for the accident. * The court absolved him of all responsibility for the accident. * A police investigation yesterday absolved the police of all blames in the incident. * The report absolves the pilot from any blame for the crash. * He was absolved of the responsibility of repaying the loan. * His youth does not absolve him from being guilty for these crimes. * The report absolved her from/of all blame for the accident. * A judge absolved a woman of punishment for killing a man because she was protecting herself. * He was absolved of all wrongdoing. * I absolve you from all your sins. * After praying for forgiveness, he was absolved of sin. * He asked the priest to absolve him (of his sins). * The priest absolved him (of all his sins).

abstain (from) verb formal to choose not to use a vote, either in favor or against something; to decide not to do or have something, especially something you like or enjoy, because it is bad for your health or considered morally wrong; to stay away from something * Six countries voted for the change, five voted against, and two abstained. * Ten people voted in favor, five against and two abstained. * Sixty-three members voted in favor, thirty-nine opposed and five abstained. * Ten members voted for the proposal, six members voted against it, and two abstained. * Three Conservative MPs abstained in the vote. * Three members of the committee abstained. * Two senators abstained on the vote on the new law to raise taxes. * Pilots must abstain from alcohol for 24 hours before flying. * Do you drink alcohol, smoke, or abstain? * He took a vow to abstain from alcohol/smoking/sex. * He abstains from drinking alcohol (eating meat, smoking, etc.). * Some families abstain from eating fried food. * The doctor suggested that he abstain from alcohol. * Catholics are supposed to abstain from meat on Good Friday. * Most of the church members drink only moderately or abstain completely. * The sex education program encourages teens to abstain. * Trial volunteers are told to abstain from watching TV for a month. * You should abstain from food and caffeinated drinks before the operation. * I need to abstain from eating for at least 12 hours before my blood test. * A high percentage of women said they had abstained from alcohol during pregnancy. * Junior politicians are supposed to abstain from criticizing the government. * The workers who abstained from work yesterday have been suspended. * They agreed to abstain from any actions that might endanger the peace process. * He abstained from taking part in the discussion. * Everyone demanded that Angus put on the kilt, but he did not want to do it and abstained.

abstemious adjective formal not allowing yourself to have much food or alcohol, or to do things that are enjoyable * He was a hard-working man with abstemious habits. * She is known as an abstemious eater and drinker.

abstention noun formal an act of choosing not to use a vote either in favor or against something; the act of not allowing yourself to have or do something enjoyable or something that is considered bad * The draft law was passed by 134 votes to 19, with 5 abstentions. * The voting was 15 in favor, 3 against and 2 abstentions. * We have three yes votes, one no, and one abstention. * There were 10 ayes, 6 nays, and 2 abstentions when the vote was taken. * The vote was ten in favor of the plan, one against it, and two abstentions. * There were high levels of abstention (from voting) in the last elections. * There were ten votes in favor, six against, and three abstentions. * The Church insisted on abstention from all luxuries. * He started drinking again after a long period of abstention. * Abstention from alcohol is essential while you are taking this medication.

abstinence noun formal the practice of not allowing yourself something, especially food, alcoholic drinks or sex, for moral, religious or health reasons * The program promoted sexual abstinence for young people. * The best way to avoid pregnancy is total abstinence from sex. * He started drinking again after a long period of total/complete abstinence from alcohol. * He must have total abstinence from drinking because of his heart problem. * The Catholic Church demands abstinence of its priests. abstinent adjective formal * He stopped drinking and has remained totally abstinent.

abstracted adjective formal thinking deeply about something and not paying attention to what is around you * He was listening to music and had an abstracted expression. * The same abstracted look was still on his face. * He gave her an abstracted glance, then returned to his book. * She said hello but she seemed a bit abstracted.

abstraction noun formal the situation in which a subject is very general and not based on real situations; the state of thinking deeply about something and not paying attention to what is around you * He’s always talking in abstractions. * She's always talking in abstractions. * Is it worth fighting a big war, in the name of an abstraction like sovereignty? * “Beauty” and “truth” are abstractions. * She rocked the baby gently, gazing in abstraction at the flickering fire. * She was gazing in abstraction at the far corner of the room. * She gazed out the window in abstraction.

abstruse adjective formal unnecessarily complicated and difficult to understand * Mathematics is a mix of abstruse theory and detailed calculations. * Her subject matter is abstruse. * That writer's ideas are abstruse. * Everyone else in the class understood geometry easily, but John found the subject abstruse.

(in) abundance (of) noun formal a large quantity that is more than enough * One quality the team possessed in abundance was fighting spirit. * Fruits and vegetables grew in abundance on the island. * Food was in abundance. * There was food in abundance. * The evidence is there in abundance. * Mushroom grew there in great abundance. * The flowers grew in great abundance. * Flowers grow in abundance in our garden. * Exotic plants are found in abundance. * We had wine in abundance. * Grapes and olives grow in abundance in the valley. * The city has fine restaurants in abundance. * The city has an abundance of fine restaurants. * The area has an abundance of wildlife. * The lake attracts an abundance of wildlife. * We were amazed by the sheer abundance of food. * There was an abundance of food at the wedding. * We all seem to have an abundance of those plastic grocery bags. * The country has an abundance of natural resources. * The brochure promised beautiful walks with an abundance of wildlife. * We are fortunate to live in a time of great abundance. * North America is a land of abundance.

abundant adjective formal existing in large quantities; more than enough * During the 18th century land was cheap, grain was plentiful, and meat was abundant. * Latin America has an abundant labor force and natural resources. * Plant fossils are abundant in some types of rock. * Fish are abundant in the lake. * Food is in abundant supply in this country. * We have abundant evidence to prove his guilt. * There is an abundant supply of cheap labor. * Birds are abundant in the tall vegetation. * The country has an abundant supply of fossil fuels. * Rainfall is abundant in the region. * Rainfall is more abundant in summer. * It is the most abundant bird in the forest. * He offers abundant evidence that he is right.

abundantly adverb formal in large quantities * Melons grow abundantly in this region. * Lavender will grow abundantly with little water. * Calcium is found most abundantly in milk. * The problems are abundantly documented.

abut (on/onto) verb formal to be next to something or to have one side touching the side of something * His land abuts onto the road. * Mexico abuts (on) some of the richest parts of the United States. * Their house abutted (onto) the police station. * In New York City, buildings abut each other and there's no open space between them.

abysmal adjective formal very bad or of bad quality * The reunion was an abysmal failure. * Living conditions were abysmal. * His manners are abysmal. * The food was abysmal. * The standard of the students' work is abysmal. * This experiment could help a lot of people, or it could be an abysmal failure. * The general standard of racing was abysmal. * That movie was an abysmal failure. * Some of the teaching was abysmal. abysmally adverb * The standard of education was abysmally low. * As the chart shows, it has failed abysmally. * The local police failed abysmally.

accede (to) verb formal to agree to a request, proposal, etc. * He acceded to demands for his resignation. * Japan had little choice but to accede. * They were forced to accede to all of the hijackers’ demands. * Britain would not accede to France’s request. * When the class asked the teacher whether they could play baseball instead of learn grammar they expected him to refuse, but instead he acceded to their request. accede (to) verb formal to achieve a high position, especially to become king or queen * Queen Victoria acceded to the throne in 1837.