
What Does “Abolish” Mean?
Abolish (verb) means to officially put an end to a law, system, practice, or institution.
- Pronunciation: UK 🔊 /əˈbɒl.ɪʃ/US 🔊/əˈbɑː.lɪʃ/
- Part of speech: transitive verb (it always needs an object)
- Formal register: common in news, law, politics, and history
- Usually used for: laws, taxes, systems, customs, institutions (not people or feelings).
Quick rule: you abolish something that was created by rules or society, like a law, a tax, or a system.
Word Forms of Abolish.
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Base form | abolish | Parliament may abolish the tax. |
| Third person singular | abolishes | The council abolishes the fee every year. |
| Past simple | abolished | The country abolished the death penalty. |
| Past participle | abolished | The law has been abolished. |
| Present participle | abolishing | They are abolishing the old rules. |
| Noun | abolition | The abolition of slavery changed history. |
| Noun (person) | abolitionist | She was a famous abolitionist. |
30 + examples of abolish in sentences | abolished in the sentence.
Abolish means putting an end to something (formally). I have brought 30 + examples of ‘abolish’ in sentences in this article. There are many other examples of “abolish,” but I have brought the easy ones.
Abolish: put an end to (formally). Learn the examples of ‘abolish’ in sentences.
30+ Examples of Abolish in Sentences.
Laws, rules, and government.
- The government decided to abolish the old tax system.
- Parliament abolished the law after years of protest.
- Many countries have abolished the death penalty.
- The new minister wants to abolish unnecessary paperwork.
- The council abolished parking fees in the city centre.
- Congress voted to abolish the outdated regulation.
- The court abolished the rule because it was unfair.
History and society.
- Britain abolished the slave trade in 1807.
- Reformers worked for decades to abolish child labour.
- Activists campaigned to abolish discrimination in the workplace.
- The king abolished the old class system.
- Society must abolish harmful traditions that hurt people.
- The new constitution abolished the monarchy.
Education and workplace.
- The school abolished the dress code last year.
- The university has abolished entry exams for some courses.
- The company abolished the night shift to protect workers’ health.
- Some teachers want to abolish homework in primary school.
- The manager abolished the old reporting process.
Everyday and business use.
- The bank abolished its monthly account fee.
- The airline has abolished free checked baggage on short flights.
- The city plans to abolish the old bus routes.
- The committee abolished the position after the restructure.
- They abolished the membership fee to attract more users.
Passive voice.
- Slavery was abolished in the nineteenth century.
- The tax has been abolished since January.
- Several outdated rules will be abolished next year.
- The post of deputy director was abolished during the merger.
Continuous and perfect forms.
- The government is abolishing the old pension scheme.
- They have abolished the rule that banned flexible hours.
- Lawmakers had abolished the practice long before the report came out.
- Experts believe the system should be abolished completely.
- The ministry is considering abolishing import duty on medicines.
Synonyms of abolish. Below are examples of ‘abolish’ in sentences.

| Synonym | Best used when | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Repeal | a law is officially cancelled | Parliament repealed the act. |
| Scrap | informal, a plan or system is dropped | The company scrapped the policy. |
| Eliminate | something is removed completely | The new tool eliminates errors. |
| Do away with | informal, to get rid of | They did away with the old fee. |
| Annul | a contract or marriage is declared invalid | The court annulled the contract. |
| Revoke | a licence or decision is withdrawn | The licence was revoked. |
| Cancel | an event or arrangement is stopped | The flight was cancelled. |
| End | general, simple | They ended the practice. |
| Terminate | formal, contracts or employment | The contract was terminated. |
| Cancel | Dissolve | Abrogate |
|---|---|---|
| Nullify. | Prohibit | Revoke. |
| Suppress | Terminate | Set aside |
| Surpass | Terminate | Revoke |
| Abate | Erase | Extinguish |
| Destroy | Supersede |
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Antonyms of abolish.
| Antonym | Example |
|---|---|
| Introduce | The government introduced a new tax. |
| Establish | The school established a new rule. |
| Institute | They instituted a new system. |
| Enact | Parliament enacted the law. |
| Create | The company created a new policy. |
| Retain / Keep | The council retained the old rule. |
| Uphold / Maintain | The court upheld the law. |
| Restore / Reinstate | They reinstated the old policy. |

| Fix | Pass | Validate |
|---|---|---|
| Assist | Approve | Create |
| Permit | Allow | Institute |
| Validate | Begin | Commence |
| Help | Construct | Save |
| Set up | Start | Confirm |
| Continue | Support | uphold |
30 + examples of ‘abolish’ in negative sentences.
- The government did not abolish the tax.
- The school has not abolished the uniform policy.
- They will not abolish the old law this year.
- The council cannot abolish the rule without a vote.
- The company didn’t abolish the bonus system.
- Lawmakers have not abolished the practice yet.
- The tradition was not abolished; it just became less common.
- The university doesn’t plan to abolish the entry test.
- The dean did not abolish the mid-term test for students.
- I don’t want to abolish the bed traditions.
- She hadn’t abolished our new building system.
- She did not abolish new management.
- The man didn’t want to abolish slavery.
- Our youth should not abolish poverty.
- Poverty cannot abolish pieces in society.
- Justice wouldn’t abolish cruelty.
- Discrimination didn’t abolish our society.
- Hatred hasn’t abolished love.
- The new government could not abolish the old system.
- A loyal man did not wish to abolish jurisdiction.
- The police didn’t abolish bribery.
- The new system didn’t try to abolish injustice.
- Leaders mustn’t abolish cruel policies.
- She didn’t find him abolishing the new management system.
- Security men cannot abolish the drinking party on the road.
- Judges cannot abolish freedom but should do it.
- Women cannot abolish darkness from home.
- Children haven’t abolished homeschooling because they need to be interested in it.
- John didn’t try to abolish the new terms index.
- These people didn’t know how to abolish income tax from town.
- Some leaders haven’t seen the justice system abolished but could not do anything.
- I do not know why people haven’t abolished evening together rapidly.
- Modern youth haven’t abolished all the old traditions.
- The teachers didn’t plan to abolish the principal.
- John isn’t interested in abolishing hypocrisy.
- Laborism shouldn’t be abolished in the new society.
- Poopers didn’t desire to abolish tax on them.
- The government couldn’t abolish new terms made by people.
- The radio system isn’t being abolished slowly.
- His duty wasn’t abolished tickly.
- The new man wasn’t waiting to abolish inflection from the world.
- Voting cannot abolish dictatorship.
- Due to corrupt leaders, the army couldn’t abolish democracy.
Questions with Abolish.
- Why did the government abolish the tax?
- Should schools abolish homework?
- When was slavery abolished in your country?
- Has the law been abolished yet?
- Who has the power to abolish this rule?
Abolish vs Repeal vs Eliminate: What’s the Difference?
| Word | Meaning | Typical object |
|---|---|---|
| Abolish | End an entire system, practice, or institution formally | slavery, tax, system, custom |
| Repeal | Officially cancel a specific law | law, act, ban |
| Eliminate | Remove completely, often a problem or risk | errors, waste, risk, disease |
Tip: use repeal for laws only. Use abolish for broader systems and practices. Use eliminate for problems you want gone.
Common Collocations with Abolish.
- abolish slavery.
- abolish the death penalty.
- abolish a tax/fee/law/rule.
- abolish a system/practice/tradition.
- abolish a post/position.
- officially / formally / completely abolish.
- vote to abolish.
- call for something to be abolished.
Common Mistakes with Abolish.
| Wrong | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hatred abolished love. | Hatred destroyed love. | Abolish is for laws and systems, not feelings. |
| The man abolished the teacher. | The school dismissed the teacher. | You don’t abolish people. |
| She abolished to go. | She decided to leave. | Abolish needs an object. |
| The law was abolish. | The law was abolished. | Passive voice needs the past participle. |
| Abolishment of tax | Abolition of tax | Abolition is the standard noun. |
Quick Practice (Fill in the Blank)
- The country ______ slavery in the 1800s. (abolish, past simple)
- The tax has been ______ since last year. (abolish, past participle)
- They are ______ the old system. (abolish, present continuous)
- The ______ of the tax made people happy. (noun form)
Answers: 1. abolished 2. abolished 3. abolishing 4. abolition
FAQs
To officially end a law, system, or practice.
Yes. It is common in law, politics, news, and history writing.
Abolition. The word abolishment exists but is rare.
Abolished (both past simple and past participle).
No. Use dismiss, remove, or fire for people.
Repeal applies to a specific law. Abolish is broader and can cover systems, customs, and institutions.
A person who campaigns to end something, historically slavery.
Related Pages (Internal Link Ideas)
- Examples of “eliminate” in sentences
- Examples of “repeal” in sentences
- Formal vs informal words list
- Verb forms list (V1, V2, V3)
- Transitive and intransitive verbs with examples