(v. i.) To hold one's self aloof; to forbear or refrain voluntarily, and especially from an indulgence of the passions or appetites; -- with from.
(v. t.) To hinder; to withhold.
Example Sentences:
(1) Also critical to Mr Smith's victory was the decision over lunch of the MSF technical union's delegation to abstain on the rule changes.
(2) Abstainer rates in the total population controlled for treatment decreased with increasing WPY (P less than 0.005).
(3) The adjusted odds ratio of having one or more hospitalization for current drinkers relative to life-long abstainers in females was 0.67 (95 per cent confidence interval 0.57-0.79) and in males was 0.74 (0.57-0.96).
(4) Britain and France formally announced this week they would abstain, along with Portugal and Bosnia.
(5) Although close to 50% of this sample were abstainers, 11% of the drinkers were found to be heavy drinkers, averaging more than two drinks daily, while 18% were high-maximum drinkers, consuming at least five drinks on an occasion prior to pregnancy.
(6) Compared to abstainers, the heaviest drinkers had the highest systolic (JM, p = 0.001; WM, p less than 0.01) and diastolic (JM, p less than 0.002; WM, p less than 0.05) blood pressures.
(7) The Labour leadership is understood to be pressing for its MPs to abstain on the grounds that the party’s policy is under review and the real vote on Trident will come in the decisive “main gate” decision on renewal next year.
(8) But the prime minister failed to win the support of more than half of his 303 MPs after 136 Tories rejected the measure and around 40 Tory MPs either did not vote or actively abstained.
(9) 36% of the group had abstained from further drug taking, 27% were taking them periodically, 32% had to be treated again and 5% had deteriorated (trend towards invalidism).
(10) Their occurrence rules out any organic involvement almost with certainty, and allows abstaining from additional examinations, or keeping them within minimum limits.
(11) They all abstain from social media for fear of getting embroiled in some brouhaha.
(12) Heidi Allen, the Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire, abstained in last week’s vote but said she and others would defy the party whip if concessions were not offered.
(13) Fourteen months later, 41 subjects (41%) were classified as resumers; 62 (59%) were abstainers.
(14) This finding indicates that many young people exaggerate the risk of losing status among their peers because they abstain from drinking.
(15) At their explosive 80-minute meeting, the union's delegates - who hold 4.5 per cent of the vote - voted by 19-17 to abstain because the OMOV rule change included a further measure promoting more women MPs, one of the union's longstanding causes.
(16) All subjects had been instructed to abstain from smoking for at least 10 h before and during the examination.
(17) The CDC and other health agencies have been operating for months on the assumption that Zika causes brain defects, and they have been warning pregnant women to use mosquito repellent, avoid travel to Zika-stricken regions and either abstain from sex or rely on condoms.
(18) On same-sex marriage, Leadsom said she supported partnerships between gay couples but had reservations about the legislation that led her to abstain during the parliamentary vote.
(19) The salivary cotinine concentration after 1 week in 60 abstainers was 183 ng.ml-1.
(20) Never smoking abstainers die at about the same rate as never smoking moderate drinkers.
Abstention
Definition:
(a.) The act of abstaining; a holding aloof.
Example Sentences:
(1) Eleven smokers (three male and eight female) were studied after a 7-day period of abstention from smoking.
(2) A total of 192 women with a clinical and thermographic diagnosis of fibrocystic breast disease were randomly assigned to four groups on the basis of two-by-two factorial design: (1) abstention from MTX-containing beverages, (2) abstention from alcohol, (3) abstention from MTX and alcohol, and (4) no dietary advice.
(3) For alcoholics with no other drug problems, a 66% continuous abstention rate was achieved, and 77% were currently abstinent at followup.
(4) The far-left Linke delivered 53 no votes and two abstentions, while 23 Greens were in favour with two against, and 33 abstentions.
(5) Those who don’t see any point voting could always choose the “abstention” option suggested by the committee.
(6) The surgical abstention and partial excision keep many indications, but require a regular follow-up.
(7) The abstention decision underlined the tension between Obama and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu , who had made furious efforts to prevent such a move.
(8) The four years since have been painful for leftwing voters who have felt at best betrayed, and often disgusted by the ruling Socialists, to the point where all elections since have seen rising levels of abstention; four out of five voters don’t want President Hollande to run in next year’s presidential election.
(9) The US administration has reaffirmed its – rhetorical – opposition to the settlements over the past five decades, both in secretary of state John Kerry’s latest speech and with its abstention from the UN security council resolution 2334 condemning Israel’s settlement activities.
(10) A decrease in women's rate of abstention was also observed.
(11) In a vote of 94 to nine, with many abstentions, the parliament approved four warplanes and three reserve jets to be deployed to northern Iraq.
(12) After 4 weeks of alcohol abstention, the urinary excretion of these enzymes returned to control values.
(13) The postheparin plasma lipoprotein lipase activity decreased by 41% and the hepatic lipase by 37% during the abstention.
(14) The aims of the present study were to evaluate the alcohol-induced changes of bone and mineral metabolism and their recovery during abstention, and to reassess any possible link between alcohol abuse and osteoporosis.
(15) But within Nato, Berlin's abstention is likely to be perceived as showing a lack of solidarity with Germany's allies.
(16) Asked about the possibility of abstentions in the vote, which is due before Christmas, Clegg told the BBC during a visit in Sheffield: "We are looking at this as a party.
(17) The development of gingivitis during the oral hygiene abstention period was more rapid and more severe in old than in young individuals.
(18) Based on recent pharmacological and pathophysiological findings, the authors confront still persisting unsubstantiated views with modern ones regarding the duration of action of analgetics, equianalgesic doses, abstention symptoms, development of dependence, tolerance and the use of co-analgetics.
(19) For maximum benefit, these measures need to be combined with the avoidance of obesity, reasonable physical activity, abstention from, or moderate use of, alcohol, and avoidance of tobacco in any form.
(20) Given the potential gravity measures must be taken to prevent this complication, by observing simple rules (respect of contraindication, use of progressive dosage regimens, avoidance of loading doses, elimination of predisposing factors and abstention from dangerous therapeutic associations) and by carefully following up high risk patients.