What does "abolish" mean?

1. (to end a law or system) to officially end a law, a system, or a traditional way of doing things. 2. (to destroy completely) to completely destroy or wipe something out.

How do you use "abolish"?

This verb is transitive and almost always takes an abstract noun like 'slavery', 'tax', or 'law' as its object.

Is it correct to say "The government abolished the old building."?

No — say "The government demolished the old building.". You abolish laws or systems, but you demolish or destroy physical objects like buildings.

abolish

US //əˈbɑɫɪʃ// UK //ɐbˈɒlɪʃ// abol·ish

1 to end a law or system (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Formal Law

to officially end a law, a system, or a traditional way of doing things.

to formally and legally terminate a law, system, or social institution.

Example

Many countries decided to abolish the death penalty in the last century.

Example

The parliament voted overwhelmingly to abolish the outdated tax system, replacing it with a more equitable framework for small businesses.

Usage

This verb is transitive and almost always takes an abstract noun like 'slavery', 'tax', or 'law' as its object.
Pitfall

The government abolished the old building.

The government demolished the old building.

You abolish laws or systems, but you demolish or destroy physical objects like buildings.
2 to destroy completely (v.)
C2 Proficiency Archaic Literary

to completely destroy or wipe something out.

to destroy, annihilate, or reduce to nothing.

Example

The ancient city was abolished by the fire until nothing remained.

Example

The commander sought to abolish every trace of the rebellion, ensuring that no record of the uprising would survive for future generations.

Teacher's tip

This physical sense is archaic; modern speakers use 'destroy' or 'demolish' for physical objects.
- create
- build

Origin

The word enters late Middle English as abolisshen, appearing by way of the Middle French aboliss-, which served as the extended stem for the verb abolir. This French form traces back to the Latin abolēre, a term originally concerned with retarding or checking the growth of an object before its eventual destruction. This was linked to the inchoative abolēscere, describing the process by which something might wither, vanish, or simply cease to be. One might say the word's journey mimics its meaning, moving from a mere hesitation in development to a complete and final removal from the records.