Word
resign
Phoneticsre·sign, stress on the second syllable
/ɹiˈsaɪn/
Definitions
01to quit a job
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to officially tell your employer that you are leaving your job.
v. to voluntarily leave a position of employment or office, typically by formal notification.
日本語:辞める※
“The manager decided to resign from the company to spend more time with his family.”
“After the scandal became public, the CEO was forced to resign from the board to protect the firm's remaining reputation.”
Usage
Often used with the preposition 'from' when mentioning the organisation.
Pitfall
He resigned his job yesterday.
He resigned from his job yesterday.
While you can 'resign a position', it is much more common to 'resign from' a job or company.
02to accept something bad
C1 · Advanced Formal
v. to accept that something unpleasant is going to happen because you cannot change it.
v. to accept something as inevitable or to submit passively to a situation.
日本語:観念する※
“She had to resign herself to the fact that the holiday was cancelled.”
“The exhausted soldiers eventually resigned themselves to their fate, realizing that no reinforcements would arrive before nightfall.”
Usage
Commonly used in the reflexive form 'resign oneself to'.
03to give up a right
C2 · Proficiency Law Formal · Technical
v. to give up a right, a claim, or control over something.
v. to relinquish or hand over a right, power, or possession to another party.
日本語:放棄する※
“The king was forced to resign his claim to the throne.”
“Under the terms of the treaty, the occupied territory was resigned to the neighbouring state without further conflict.”
Usage
Takes a direct object representing the thing being given up.
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “resign” in context.
Verb
01. force the manager to resign
“The board of directors eventually forced the manager to resign after the scandal.”
verb + noun + infinitive
02. threaten to resign
“She threatened to resign if her demands for a higher salary were not met.”
verb + infinitive
Preposition
03. resign in protest
“Several committee members decided to resign in protest against the new policy.”
verb + prep + noun
Adverb
04. formally resign from the post
“He will formally resign from the post at the end of the fiscal year.”
adv + verb + prep + noun
05. resign yourself to the situation
“Eventually, he resigned himself to the situation and stopped complaining about the noise.”
verb + noun + prep + noun
06. suddenly resign
“The CEO suddenly resigned yesterday, leaving the company in a state of shock.”
adv + verb
Real-World Examples
“As the president walked away, Matthews continued: “Why won’t you resign?” “Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Professor of Black Studies Kehinde Andrews and friend of Arday described him as "very down" after resigning from Cambridge.” Etymology
From Anglo-Norman resigner, Middle French resigner, and its source, Latin resignāre (“to unseal, annul, assign, resign”), from re- + signāre (“to seal, stamp”). Piecewise doublet of re-sign.
From re- + sign.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/resign
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0