# resign

/ɹiˈsaɪn/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/resign
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to quit a job

verb · CEFR B2

to officially tell your employer that you are leaving your job.

For teachers: to voluntarily leave a position of employment or office, typically by formal notification.

- 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.

### 2. to accept something bad

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to accept that something unpleasant is going to happen because you cannot change it.

For teachers: to accept something as inevitable or to submit passively to a situation.

- 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'.

### 3. to give up a right

verb · CEFR C2 · Formal · Technical

to give up a right, a claim, or control over something.

For teachers: to relinquish or hand over a right, power, or possession to another party.

- 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.

## Examples

- She decided to resign from her job to start a new business.
- The manager chose to resign after the company announced its controversial new policy.
- Following the public scandal, the CEO was pressured to resign his position immediately to protect the firm's remaining stock value.

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