abolish

[uh-bol-ish]

verb (used with object)

1. 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

abolish

/ əˈbɒlɪʃ /

verb

1. (tr) to do away with (laws, regulations, customs, etc); put an end to

Other Word Forms

• abolisher noun
• abolishable adjective
• abolishment noun
• unabolishable adjective
• unabolished adjective
• well-abolished adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of abolish¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French aboliss-, long stem of abolir, from Latin abolēre “to destroy, efface”

Word History and Origins

Origin of abolish¹

C15: from Old French aboliss- (lengthened stem of abolir ), ultimately from Latin abolēre to destroy

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Reform also said it would abolish business rates, which are charged on most non-residential premises by councils.

From BBC

Following an extensive investigation, police alleged that Bolsonaro and his seven co-defendants had been planning acts to abolish the democratic rule of law and keep him in power as early as 2019.

From BBC

Following an extensive investigation, police alleged that he and other officials had been planning acts to abolish the democratic rule of law and keep him in power as early as 2019.

From BBC

The seat was abolished because of boundary changes, which came into effect at the 2024 general election.

From BBC

She was reinstated, but amid a number of 'false positives', and fears that female athletes were being punished for natural variations, gender verification tests were abolished in the 1990s.

From BBC

Related Words

• abrogate 
• annul 
• cancel 
• dissolve 
• eradicate 
• nullify 
• overthrow 
• overturn 
• prohibit 
• put an end to 
• repeal 
• rescind 
• revoke 
• set aside 
• stamp out 
• suppress 
• terminate 
• wipe out