Definition of "abstention" []

• The act or habit of deliberate self-denial. (noun)
• An abstaining vote or voter: 12 ayes, 10 nays, and 8 abstentions. (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.

• "This moral abstention is nosing its way down our streets with insidious intent."
• "Mr. Zapatero, who runs a minority government, got the package through with the sole votes of his Socialist party and abstention from a Basque nationalist party that he is wooing furiously for support on his next challenge, which is much bigger: passing a budget for 2011."
• ""We have a duty to find out if the abstention was a true reflection of her intention," he said."