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.

abolish — meaning, definition & examples

Q: 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.

Word

01to end a law or system

B2 · Upper Intermediate Law Formal

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

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

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

“The parliament voted overwhelmingly to abolish the outdated tax system, replacing it with a more equitable framework for small businesses.”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

Synonyms

annulabrogate cancel nullify

Antonyms

establish institute enact

02to destroy completely

C2 · Proficiency Archaic · Literary

v. to completely destroy or wipe something out.

v. to destroy, annihilate, or reduce to nothing.

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

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

Teaching tip

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

Synonyms

annihilate obliterate destroy

Antonyms

create build

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “abolish” in context.

Verb

01. abolish the monarchy

“Several political factions campaigned to abolish the monarchy and establish a republic.”

verb + noun

02. abolish the tax

“The new administration promised to abolish the inheritance tax for middle-income families.”

verb + noun

03. formally abolish the practice

“The government decided to formally abolish the practice of child labor.”

adv + verb

04. seek to abolish

“Human rights activists seek to abolish the death penalty worldwide.”

verb + infinitive

05. vote to abolish

“The committee will vote to abolish the outdated membership fees next month.”

verb + infinitive

Noun

06. campaign to abolish

“She led a successful campaign to abolish the use of plastic bags in the city.”

noun + infinitive

07. decision to abolish

“The decision to abolish tuition fees led to a significant increase in university applications.”

noun + infinitive

08. move to abolish

“The sudden move to abolish the department caught many employees by surprise.”

noun + infinitive

“Cricket | Joe Root has abolished the midnight curfew for his England Test side, telling his players to “be adults” after a string of late-night incidents.”

The Guardian 13 Aug 2026

“Although IPP sentences were abolished in 2012, the change was not retrospective, and more than 2,200 people remain in prison despite having served many years beyond their minimum tariff.”

The Guardian 11 Aug 2026

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.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

abolish(C1)

NOUN

ADJECTIVE