verb (used with object) abolishes , present (3rd person singular) abolished , past participle, past abolishing present participle to do away with; put an end to; annul; make void. to abolish slavery. Synonyms: eliminate , extirpate , exterminate , extinguish , obliterate , annihilate , cancel , nullify , suppress Antonyms: establish to do away with; put an end to; annul; make void. to abolish slavery. (tr) to do away with (laws, regulations, customs, etc); put an end to (tr) to do away with (laws, regulations, customs, etc); put an end to Abolish, eradicate, stamp out mean to do away completely with something. To abolish is to cause to cease, often by a summary order: to abolish a requirement. Stamp out implies forcibly making an end to something considered undesirable or harmful: to stamp out the opium traffic. Eradicate (literally, to tear out by the roots ), a formal word, suggests extirpation, leaving no vestige or trace: to eradicate all use of child labor. Other Word Forms abolishment noun abolishable adjective unabolishable adjective unabolished adjective well-abolished adjective Inflected Forms abolishing present Conjugated Forms abolishes simple have abolished perfect has abolished perfect am abolishing progressive are abolishing progressive is abolishing progressive have been abolishing perfect progressive has been abolishing perfect progressive abolished simple had abolished perfect was abolishing progressive were abolishing progressive had been abolishing perfect progressive will abolish simple will have abolished perfect will be abolishing progressive will have been abolishing perfect progressive Origin of abolish First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French aboliss-, long stem of abolir, from Latin abolēre “to destroy, efface” To abolish is to get rid of or annul. So when the principal yells at you for the 100th time for not having your shirt tucked in, it's safe to wish they'd just abolish the silly dress code. The word abolish might stir up some historical connotations, since in the U.S. it's commonly associated with bringing an end to slavery. In fact, those who opposed slavery were called "abolitionists." The word comes to us from the Latin word abolere , meaning "to destroy or cause to die out." These days abolish is used to bring a final and official-sounding end to laws, codes, and unsavory practices. Vocabulary lists containing abolish Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide! The Declaration of Independence Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use! Life Is So Good Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time! 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: "The policy does not literally seek to abolish landlords, but rather to put in more regulations and taxes on private rentals through measures such as rent controls and expanded social housing," they said. From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026 He sought to create a selfless “New Man” and tried to abolish money. From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026 The goal isn’t to abolish remote work, but to recognize that company has value. From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026 The country's biggest union, Unia, also warned the initiative would weaken labour protections, abolish rules barring discrimination between resident and foreign employees and "open the door wide to wage dumping". From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026 “Or maybe abolish is the word. I hear talk of folks wanting to abolish slavery,” I said hesitantly. From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan "So if there were laws in our statute book in 1994, the constitution explicitly says they remain in force until parliament repeals them, abolishes them or changes them," he adds. From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026 Some of this friction is inevitable; care tasks are cyclical, after all, and no system abolishes effort entirely. From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2026 The new version of the constitution also declares Uzbekistan a "social state" with increased welfare obligations, abolishes death penalty, establishes greater personal legal protection, and allows non-farming land ownership. From Reuters ● Apr. 27, 2023 The deal abolishes 99% of taxes on exports, saving Australia about $10 billion on exports including lamb, beef, sugar and dairy. From Seattle Times ● Dec. 16, 2021 That the 13th Amendment relates only to slavery and involuntary servitude, which it abolishes . From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 11 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Miscellany by Robert Green Ingersoll Every coin America has ever abolished, from the half-cent in 1857 forward, died the same way. From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026 The register, external lists 13,000 individuals and hundreds of institutions known to have invested in Britain's role in slavery between 1563 and 1807, when the trade was abolished across the British Empire. From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026 By the time Congress created the modern 10th Circuit in 1929, it had abolished circuit riding. From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026 The elections were the first to be held under Kazakhstan's new constitution, which abolished the senate in favour of a new unicameral legislature and reset term limits that would have otherwise been imposed on Tokayev. From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026 Racial hate had been the bane of my life, and here before my eyes was concrete proof that it could be abolished . From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright The NTA needs deep structural reform to address recurring failures, but abolishing it is not the answer, said M Jagadesh Kumar, former chairman of India's universities regulator. From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026 He also infuriated colleagues in the coalition government, the British press reported, proposing a stream of unconventional ideas: scrapping maternity leave, abolishing job centers, even buying cloud-bursting technology so Britain would have more sunshine. From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026 Both leaders came with lofty goals, yet discussed methodical steps that included a 50 percent cut in strategic nuclear arms, with the ultimate target of abolishing the entire global nuclear stockpile by the year 2000. From Slate ● Feb. 2, 2026 “They were respectful,” said Janerio Taylor, a longtime Minneapolis activist, who supports abolishing the police department but conceded respect for their efforts handling the scene and working to reduce crime in recent years. From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026 “I wrote the letter abolishing the positions, including my own.” From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield 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. Dictionary.com's Learning Companion Go beyond just looking up words. Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.