Word · Frequency #11773
abstain
弃权；不投票
to choose not to vote in an election or meeting
- 1.
Refrain from (something or doing something); keep from doing, especially an indulgence.
戒除(某事或做某事)；尤其是戒除嗜好
- 2.
Deliberately refrain from casting one's vote at a meeting where one is present.
故意不投票
戒绝；节制；戒除(某事或做某事)；尤其是戒除嗜好；故意不投票；自制；戒绝
In use
Several members chose to abstain from the vote on the new policy.
She abstained in the final ballot because she felt she had not seen enough evidence.
I would rather abstain than vote for either candidate.
abstain from sth/doing sth
表示戒除或避免做某事。
He abstains from alcohol for health reasons.
他因健康原因戒酒。
abstain from voting
常用于投票情境。
Several members abstained from voting on the resolution.
几位成员对该决议投了弃权票。
abstain (intransitive)
不带宾语，单独使用表示弃权或不参与。
Connections
Collocations
- abstain from alcohol
- 戒酒；不喝酒
- He decided to abstain from alcohol for a month.他决定戒酒一个月。
- abstain from voting
- 投弃权票；放弃投票
- Three members abstained from voting on the resolution.三名成员对该决议投了弃权票。
- abstain from smoking
- 戒烟；不吸烟
- She has abstained from smoking since her surgery.她手术后一直不吸烟。
- abstain from eating meat
- 不吃肉；戒食肉类
- Many monks abstain from eating meat.许多僧人戒食肉类。
- abstain from sex
- 禁欲；节制性行为
- The study asked participants to abstain from sex for two weeks.该研究要求参与者禁欲两周。
Pop culture & quotes
Learner notes
Memory Tip
把“stain（污点）”看作诱惑，加“ab-（离开）”：远离污点，即戒除、弃权。
Context & Register
语域：formal 常见场景：voting/procedures、diet and lifestyle、formal writing abstain 多用于正式场合或书面语。在会议或投票中表示“弃权”；在饮食或生活习惯上表示“戒除、节制”。日常口语中较少见，常见于正式讨论、法律或健康话题。
Pronunciation & Spelling
All listed words rhyme with the stressed /teɪn/ or /steɪn/ ending of abstain. Beware lookalikes that do not rhyme, such as 'captain' (/ˈkæptɪn/), 'mountain' (/ˈmaʊntən/), and 'certain' (/ˈsɜːrtən/).
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 1，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.