abolish
verb
abol·ish ə-ˈbä-lish 
abolished; abolishing; abolishes
transitive verb
: to end the observance or effect of (something, such as a law) : to completely do away with (something) : annul
abolish a law
abolish slavery
abolishable
ə-ˈbä-li-shə-bəl
adjective abolisher noun
abolishment
ə-ˈbä-lish-mənt
noun 
Synonyms
- abate
- abrogate
- annul
- avoid
- cancel
- disannul
- dissolve
- invalidate
- negate
- null
- nullify
- quash
- repeal
- rescind
- roll back
- strike down
- vacate
- void
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
He is in favor of abolishing the death penalty. the U.S. abolished slavery by constitutional amendment on December 6, 1865
Recent Examples on the Web The movement to abolish the police gained popularity after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police office in 2020, though that position wasn't widely adopted among congressional lawmakers. 
Teny Sahakian, Fox News, 4 Sep. 2022 The city council in Vincent, Alabama, voted to abolish its police department on Thursday, at least temporarily, two months after one of the officers sent a text message containing racist language to a colleague. Jade Gordon, CNN, 19 Aug. 2022 The revelations sparked huge protests involving hundreds of campus members, with some demands to abolish fraternities altogether. Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2022 As heinous as the Buffalo killings were, Black civil rights leaders say, seeking to execute the gunman would represent a setback in their efforts to abolish capital punishment. David Nakamura, Anchorage Daily News, 5 July 2022 As heinous as the Buffalo killings were, Black civil rights leaders say, seeking to execute the gunman would represent a setback in their efforts to abolish capital punishment. David Nakamura, Washington Post, 4 July 2022 Earlier this month, Belching Beaver donated $10,000 to the group Wildlife 2000 to advance its efforts to abolish these anti-beaver laws. San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Apr. 2022 Both the Shakers and the Oneidans referred to this straightforward proof text often in defending their decision to abolish monogamy. Stewart Davenport, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2022 But that increase also confirms Wilentz’s point on the importance of the decision to abolish the trade at a time when ever more Africans were arriving. Sean Wilentz, The New York Review of Books, 13 Jan. 2022 See More
Teny Sahakian, Fox News, 4 Sep. 2022 The city council in Vincent, Alabama, voted to abolish its police department on Thursday, at least temporarily, two months after one of the officers sent a text message containing racist language to a colleague. Jade Gordon, CNN, 19 Aug. 2022 The revelations sparked huge protests involving hundreds of campus members, with some demands to abolish fraternities altogether. Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2022 As heinous as the Buffalo killings were, Black civil rights leaders say, seeking to execute the gunman would represent a setback in their efforts to abolish capital punishment. David Nakamura, Anchorage Daily News, 5 July 2022 As heinous as the Buffalo killings were, Black civil rights leaders say, seeking to execute the gunman would represent a setback in their efforts to abolish capital punishment. David Nakamura, Washington Post, 4 July 2022 Earlier this month, Belching Beaver donated $10,000 to the group Wildlife 2000 to advance its efforts to abolish these anti-beaver laws. San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Apr. 2022 Both the Shakers and the Oneidans referred to this straightforward proof text often in defending their decision to abolish monogamy. Stewart Davenport, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2022 But that increase also confirms Wilentz’s point on the importance of the decision to abolish the trade at a time when ever more Africans were arriving. Sean Wilentz, The New York Review of Books, 13 Jan. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English abolysshen, borrowed from Middle French aboliss-, stem of abolir "to abolish," borrowed from Latin abolēre "to destroy, efface, put an end to," perhaps formed from abolēscere "to shrivel up, be effaced, fall into disuse," from ab- ab- + -ol-, medial form of the base of alere "to nourish, bring up" + -ēsc-, inchoative suffix — more at old entry 1
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
abolish
verb
abol·ish ə-ˈbä-lish
abolished; abolishing
: to do away with : put an end to
abolish discrimination
Legal Definition
abolish
transitive verb
abol·ish
: to end the observance or effect of : annul
abolishing
verb
1
as in repealing
to put an end to by formal action the U.S. abolished slavery by constitutional amendment on December 6, 1865 Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- repealing
- canceling
- cancelling
- overturning
- avoiding
- annulling
- abrogating
- nullifying
- rescinding
- dissolving
- vacating
- invalidating
- voiding
- revoking
- negating
- withdrawing
- suspending
- eliminating
- dismissing
- quashing
- removing
- reversing
- nulling
- outlawing
- rejecting
- banning
- prohibiting
- vetoing
- rolling back
- retracting
- abating
- forbidding
- disannulling
- overruling
- striking down
- setting aside
- overriding
- eradicating
- erasing
- countermanding
- enjoining
- aborting
- doing away with
- disallowing
- recalling
- annihilating
- calling
- liquidating
- dropping
- calling off
- writing off
- throwing out
- breaking down
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- enacting
- establishing
- instituting
- legislating
- founding
- authorizing
- laying down
- passing
- validating
- ratifying
- approving
- legalizing
- permitting
- endorsing
- allowing
- mandating
- legitimizing
- prescribing
- formalizing
- clearing
- legitimating
- sanctioning
- ordering
- warranting
- commanding
- decreeing
- indorsing
2
as in eradicating
to destroy all traces of if only there were a way that we could abolish hatred and intolerance Synonyms & Similar Words
- eradicating
- erasing
- destroying
- obliterating
- extirpating
- exterminating
- expunging
- effacing
- annihilating
- liquidating
- canceling
- demolishing
- cancelling
- dismantling
- wiping out
- shattering
- killing
- blotting out
- discarding
- blacking out
- ruining
- decimating
- dissolving
- wrecking
- flattening
- rubbing out
- ravaging
- consuming
- razing
- sweeping (away)
- wasting
- stamping (out)
- excising
- ditching
- jettisoning
- expelling
- rooting (out)
- snuffing (out)
- devastating
- fragmenting
- smashing
- terminating
- cleaning (up)
- dynamiting
- finishing
- atomizing
- ejecting
- tearing down
- dooming
- pulverizing
- ousting
- devouring
- splintering
- dashing
- zapping
- powdering
- totaling
- blasting
- cutting
- killing off
- mowing (down)
- totalling
- blowing up
- throwing out
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- preserving
- protecting
- saving
- conserving
- creating
- forming
- constructing
- making
- building
- restoring
- shaping
- manufacturing
- forging
- fixing
- repairing
- renewing
- framing
- rebuilding
- reconstructing
- fashioning
- fabricating
- revamping
- renovating
- reconditioning
- patching
- mending