relinquish

relinquished; relinquishing; relinquishes

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."

Definitions of relinquish
  1. verb
    turn away from; give up
    synonyms: foreswear, forsake, quit, renounce
    see moresee less
    types:
    disclaim
    renounce a legal claim or title to
    type of:
    abandon, give up
    give up with the intent of never claiming again
  2. verb
    do without or cease to hold or adhere to
    “relinquish the old ideas”
    synonyms: dispense with, forego, foreswear, forgo, waive
    see moresee less
    types:
    give up, kick
    stop consuming
  3. verb
    part with a possession or right
    “I am relinquishing my bedroom to the long-term house guest”
    synonyms: free, give up, release, resign
    see moresee less
    types:
    derequisition
    release from government control
    give, sacrifice
    endure the loss of
    type of:
    give, hand, pass, pass on, reach, turn over
    place into the hands or custody of
  4. verb
    release, as from one's grip
    “relinquish your grip on the rope--you won't fall”
    synonyms: let go, let go of, release
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    Antonyms:
    hold, take hold
    have or hold in one's hands or grip
    types:
    show 16 types...
    hide 16 types...
    discharge, muster out
    release from military service
    unclasp
    release from a clasp
    pop
    release suddenly
    toggle
    release by a toggle switch
    unhand
    remove the hand from
    bring out, let out
    bring out of a specific state
    unleash
    release or vent
    let loose, loose, unleash
    turn loose or free from restraint
    unleash
    release from a leash
    disengage, withdraw
    release from something that holds fast, connects, or entangles
    deactivate
    remove from active military status or reassign
    demob, demobilise, demobilize
    retire from military service
    demobilise, demobilize, inactivate
    release from military service or remove from the active list of military service
    cannon
    fire a cannon
    uncork
    release
    unlock
    set free or release
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘relinquish'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family

Vocabulary lists containing relinquish

The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School
Sonora Reyes

Sixteen-year-old Yamilet Flores is a queer Mexican-American girl who navigates Catholic school and first love while learning to be authentic to herself.

Summer of the Mariposas
Guadalupe García McCall

As the oldest of five sisters and the only one who can legally drive, Odilia must lead a supernatural odyssey from the Rio Grande to Mexico to return the body of a drowned man.

Hitler Youth
Susan Campbell Bartoletti

This nonfiction work tells the story of the Hilterjugend — a group of German youths who were indoctrinated with Nazi policies and beliefs, making them an important part of the Nazi's World War II efforts.

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