abeyance

abeyance
 
noun|uh-BAY-unss
 
What It Means
 
Abeyance is a formal word that is almost always used in the phrase “in abeyance” to describe something in a temporary state of inactivity—that is, something in a state of suspension.
 
// The legal case is now being held in abeyance while the parties attempt to find a mutually acceptable solution.

abeyance
noun
abey·;ance ;-;b;-;n(t)s
Synonyms of abeyance
1
: a state of temporary inactivity : suspension —used chiefly in the phrase in abeyance
… new contracts on all but one existing mine … are in abeyance pending the outcome of a government inquiry to be carried out into Australia's role in the nuclear fuel cycle.
—Vimala Sarma
a plan that is currently being held in abeyance
2
: a lapse in succession during which there is no person in whom a title is vested
an estate in abeyance
abeyant
;-;b;-;nt
 adjective


Did you know?
When should you use abeyance?

Abeyance comes from Old French baer, meaning "to have the mouth wide open," which was joined with the prefix a- to form abaer, a verb meaning "to open wide," and, in later Anglo-French usage, "to expect or await." There followed Anglo-French abeyance, which referred to a state of expectation—specifically, a person's expectation of inheriting a title or property. The word, in English, was then applied for the expectation to the property itself: a property or title "in abeyance" is in temporary limbo, waiting to be claimed by a rightful heir or owner.

Synonyms
suspension
suspense
Examples of abeyance in a Sentence
our weekend plans were held in abeyance until we could get a weather forecast
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That threat was only held in abeyance by his signature; the commission needed to ratify it to fully spike the governor’s guns.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2025
In the latest development, on June 27, 2025, the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued a supplementary award in favor of Pakistan, arguing that India’s holding of the treaty in abeyance did not affect its jurisdiction over the case.
—Pintu Kumar Mahla, The Conversation, 16 July 2025
The bar will close for 30 days, permanently surrender its 4 a.m. license, and pay a $10,000 fine, with an additional $31,000 held in abeyance.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 June 2025
As employment conditions and other economic variables have been held in abeyance during the trade reset, wage growth has been moderating, dropping to a 3.77 percent increase from 3.83 percent in March, off a recent high of 4.15 percent in November of last year.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 3 June 2025

Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Anglo-French abeyaunce "absence of a claimant or owner, lapse in succession," from abaer, abair "to open wide" (from a-, prefix in transitive verbs—from Latin ad- ad- — + baer, baier "to have the mouth wide open, gape, pant," from Vulgar Latin *bat;re, perhaps of imitative origin) + -ance -ance

First Known Use
circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of abeyance was circa 1530
See more words from the same year