Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "abeyance" []

  • The condition of being temporarily set aside; suspension: held the plan in abeyance. (noun)
  • Law A condition of undetermined ownership, as of an estate that has not yet been assigned. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "abeyance" in a sentence
  • "It definitely feels that it cannot ignore Christ, is not capable of leaving Christ in abeyance and then otherwise leading a busy life."
  • "Futures is the award-winning science-fiction section of Nature, currently in abeyance in Nature itself but being published each month in Nature's monthly sister title, Nature Physics."
  • "But my impression of a suspended sentence is that it is held in abeyance unless the defendant completes a period of time without a further criminal offense."