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renounce

Pronunciation: /rɪˈnaʊns/
Translate renounce | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of renounce

verb

[with object]
  • formally declare one’s abandonment of (a claim, right, or possession):Isabella offered to renounce her son’s claim to the French Crown
  • [no object] Law refuse or resign a right or position, especially one as an heir or trustee:there will be forms enabling the allottee to renounce
  • refuse to continue to recognize or abide by:these agreements were renounced after the fall of the Tsarist regime
  • reject or abandon (a cause, bad habit, or way of life):they renounced the armed struggle he renounced alcohol completely

Phrases

renounce the world

completely withdraw from society in order to lead a more spiritually fulfilling life: she renounced the world and went to work in a leper colony

Derivatives

renounceable

adjective

renouncement

noun

renouncer

noun

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French renoncer, from Latin renuntiare 'protest against', from re- (expressing reversal) + nuntiare 'announce'

renounce in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of renounce in the US English dictionary

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