abstention
noun
ab·sten·tion
| \ əb-ˈsten(t)-shən
, ab-\
, ab-\
Definition of abstention
: the act or practice of abstaining: such as
a
: the act or practice of choosing not to do or have something
abstention from drugs and alcohol a long period of abstention [=abstinence]
b
: a formal refusal to vote on something
There were 10 ayes, 6 nays, and 2 abstentions.
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Other Words from abstention
abstentious
\ -shəs
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of abstention in a Sentence
There were 10 ayes, 6 nays, and 2 abstentions when the vote was taken.
a high rate of voter abstention
Recent Examples on the Web
The European Parliament voted 383-327 with 22 abstentions to approve von der Leyen’s nomination. — Time, "Ursula von der Leyen Confirmed as First Female President of the European Commission," 18 July 2019 The commission’s 12 to 0 vote to send the critical analysis of Durkan’s proposal, with two abstentions, comes a week before the city is due to submit its response to Robart on Aug. 15. — Steve Miletich, The Seattle Times, "Citizen panel unanimously rejects Mayor Durkan’s proposal to address Seattle police accountability flaws," 8 Aug. 2019 Her latest request was rejected in May in a 4-0 vote with one abstention. — NBC News, "Pamela Smart, serving life for recruiting teen to kill husband: Taking blame won't 'ever be enough'," 29 July 2019 The Sandinistas won 67 percent of the vote in a six-party race, with some 25 percent abstentions, many from Christian evangelicals. — Jeffrey L. Gould, The New Republic, "Making Sense of Bernie’s Sandinista Sympathies," 6 June 2019 The European Parliament voted 348-274 to pass the online copyright bill, with 36 abstentions. — Raf Casert, The Seattle Times, "EU parliament backs copyright bill targeting US tech giants," 27 Mar. 2019 Come to think of it, there is no safe level of living, but nobody would recommend abstention. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "There’s no risk-free amount of alcohol, population-level study finds," 27 Aug. 2018 The Senate passed Bill C-45 by a vote of 52 to 29 with two abstentions, lifting a prohibition on the recreational use of marijuana that has been in place since 1923. — Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, "Canada’s Senate votes to legalize marijuana," 19 June 2018 But he was defeated by a 125-112 margin, with two abstentions. — Geir Moulson, Fox News, "Merkel's party ousts close ally of chancellor from top post," 25 Sep. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abstention.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for abstention
abstention
noun
ab·sten·tion
| \ əb-ˈsten-chən
\
\
Legal Definition of abstention
: the staying of the exercise of federal jurisdiction in a case that involves a question of state law or policy which the federal court prefers to have resolved by a state court or agency
also
: the staying of the exercise of federal jurisdiction in a case that involves a proceeding in a court of military justice
—
Burford abstention
\ ˈbər-fərd- \
: an abstention grounded on the involvement in the federal case of a challenge to the exercise of a usually complex state administrative function
—
Colorado River abstention
\ ˌkä-lə-ˈra-dō-, -ˈrä- \
: an abstention grounded especially on the involvement in the federal case of questions of state concern that are also at issue in a parallel case in state court
—
Pullman abstention
\ ˈpu̇l-mən- \
: an abstention grounded on the involvement in the federal case of the interpretation of an ambiguously worded state law whose constitutionality would have to be determined by the federal court
Note: A party to a case subjected to a Pullman abstention may reserve the right to return to federal court once the state court has resolved the state law question. Pullman abstentions are the most common type of abstention.
—
Thibodaux abstention
\ ˌtē-bə-ˈdō- \
: an abstention grounded on the involvement in the federal case of an issue that greatly affects and concerns a state
—
Younger abstention
\ ˈyəŋ-gər- \
: an abstention grounded on the plaintiff's invocation of federal jurisdiction for the purpose of restraining an ongoing usually criminal state proceeding that has been brought in good faith and not for harassment
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