renounce

English

Etymology

From Old French renoncier (French renoncer), from Latin renuntiare.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈnaʊns/
• Rhymes: -aʊns

  • Audio (Southern England)

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Noun

renounce (plural renounces)

1. (card games) An act of renouncing.

Related terms

• renunciation

Verb

renounce (third-person singular simple present renounces, present participle renouncing, simple past and past participle renounced)

1. (transitive) To give up, resign, surrender.

   Synonym: (obsolete) atsake

   to renounce a title to land or to a throne

   • 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:

     It is terrible to think of the power of the world even in a redeemed soul. Here was a maid who had drunk of the well of grace and tasted of God's mercies, and yet there were moments when she was ready to renounce her hope.

2. (transitive) To cast off, repudiate.
   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     This world I do renounce, and in your sights
     Shake patiently my great affliction off.

3. (transitive) To decline further association with someone or something, disown.

   Synonyms: disown, repudiate; see also Thesaurus:repudiate

4. (transitive) To abandon, forsake, discontinue (an action, habit, intention, etc), sometimes by open declaration.
   • 2012 May 18, Sri B. G. Ramesh, translated by Sri M. N. Suresh Kumar, Ashoka‎, Bangalore: Sapna Book House (P) Ltd., →ISBN, page 14:

     His son Sidhartha had renounced material life and gone forth in search of enlightment. He received enlightment under a Bodhi tree at Gaya and became Buddha. Ashoka visited Gaya along with Upagupta and had darshan of Sambodhi.

   • 2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 68:

     Time is running out, so I renounce a spin on a Class 387 for a fast run to Paddington on another Class 800 - a shame as the weather was perfect for pictures. Even so, it's enjoyable - boy, can those trains shift under the wires.

5. (intransitive) To make a renunciation of something.
   • 1687, [John Dryden], “(please specify the page number)”, in The Hind and the Panther. A Poem, in Three Parts, 2nd edition, London: Jacob Tonson , →OCLC:

     He of my sons who fails to make it good, / By one rebellious act renounces to my blood.

6. (intransitive) To surrender formally some right or trust.
   • 1870, William Dougal Christie, Memoir of John Dryden:

     Dryden died without a will, and his widow having renounced, his son Charles administered on June 10.

7. (intransitive, card games) To fail to follow suit; playing a card of a different suit when having no card of the suit led.

Synonyms

• forsay
• forswear

Derived terms

• renounce the world
• renounceable
• renouncement
• renouncer

Related terms

• announce
• denounce
• pronounce

Translations

References

• “renounce”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.