abate
IPA: ʌbˈeɪt
noun
- (uncountable) Abatement; reduction; (countable) an instance of this.
- (uncountable) Deduction; subtraction; (countable) an instance of this.
- An Italian abbot or other member of the clergy.
- A surname from Italian.
verb
- (transitive)
- To lessen (something) in force or intensity; to moderate.
- To reduce (something) in amount or size.
- To cut away or hammer down (material from metalwork, a sculpture, etc.) in such a way as to leave a figure in relief.
- To lower (something) in price or value.
- (archaic)
- To demolish or level to the ground (a building or other structure).
- To give no consideration to (something); to treat as an exception.
- (chiefly figuratively) To dull (an edge, point, etc.); to blunt.
- (law)
- To make (a writ or other legal document) void; to nullify.
- To put an end to (a nuisance).
- (chiefly US) To dismiss or otherwise bring to an end (legal proceedings) before they are completed, especially on procedural grounds rather than on the merits.
- (obsolete)
- To curtail or end (something); to cause to cease.
- To give (someone) a discount or rebate; also, to relieve (someone) of a debt.
- To bring down (someone) mentally or physically; to lower (someone) in status.
- Chiefly followed by from, of, etc.: to omit or remove (a part from a whole); to deduct, to subtract.
- Chiefly followed by of: to deprive (someone or something of another thing).
- (intransitive)
- To decrease in force or intensity; to subside.
- To decrease in amount or size.
- To lower in price or value; (law) specifically, of a bequest in a will: to lower in value because the testator's estate is insufficient to satisfy all the bequests in full.
- (archaic, chiefly figuratively) Of an edge, point, etc.: to become blunt or dull.
- (chiefly historical) Of a writ or other legal document: to become null and void; to cease to have effect.
- (chiefly US) Of legal proceedings: to be dismissed or otherwise brought to an end before they are completed, especially on procedural grounds rather than on the merits.
- To give a discount or rebate; to discount, to rebate.
- To bow down; hence, to be abased or humbled.
- Chiefly followed by of: to deduct or subtract from.
- (transitive, intransitive, law, chiefly historical) To enter upon and unlawfully seize (land) after the owner has died, thus preventing an heir from taking possession of it.
Examples of "abate" in Sentences
- They waited for the storm to abate.
- The landlord refused to give any abatement.
- Once the gale had abated, the British regrouped.
- The school was in need of a strong abatement program.
- He said: "It doesn't seem to abate, that is for sure.
- The disruptions of the Spanish missions did not abate.
- A tax abatement sought from the city was unsuccessful.
- The template failed to abate the guy's destructive vigor.
- In the evening the gale abated, and at midnight it fell calm.
- It promotes the abatement of hatred by promoting reasoned debate.
- This is progressive and does not abate until the death of the person.
- "I don't think the protests are going to abate anytime soon short of Mubarak leaving."
- The declines came after a strong week for the euro as worries about Greece appeared to abate.
- Finally, it would largely abate from the sympathy which late events have elicited from foreign nation
- "innovation among copyright [infringers]" did not really "abate" with the introduction of the iPod/iTunes.
- It is a clip of abate, from the Old French abattre, “to beat down,” and now it means “to moderate, subside, reduce, ebb.”
- And with the National Weather Service forecasting more severe weather from Texas to the Great Lakes through today, the calls aren't likely to abate.
- While it would be helpful for the market were the mutual-fund withdrawals to abate, that isn't necessary for the stock market to rally, Mr. O'Rourke says.
- He wanted to "abate" such unnecessary confusion by advance planning and by assigning jobs of different variety to different artisans of different skills and talents.