abeyance

IPA/əˈbeɪəns/
KK[əbˈeəns]IPA/əˈbeɪəns/

abeyance — noun

1. a temporary pause or delay in a rule, law, process, or activity that was previou

1.名詞C1
釋義

a temporary pause or delay in a rule, law, process, or activity that was previously active or in use, often with the possibility that it may resume later

例句

The company's expansion plan was kept in abeyance until the market showed signs of recovery.

passive construction: be kept in abeyance (of plans)

Judge Rania put the case in abeyance while the police gathered more evidence.

collocation: put [something] in abeyance

同義詞
  • suspension

    more general term; emphasises the act of stopping something, while abeyance stresses a temporary, unresolved holding pattern

  • hiatus

    focuses on a break or gap in a sequence; slightly less formal than abeyance

  • dormancy

    suggests a state of rest or sleep, often used for biological or legal matters; implies potential future awakening

反義詞

文法句型

hold/keep/put + [something] + in abeyance

fall/go + into abeyance

be + in abeyance

用法筆記

Frequently paired with 'in' as part of fixed prepositional phrases. Common transitive patterns are 'hold/keep/put [something] in abeyance'; common intransitive patterns are 'fall/go into abeyance'.

常見錯誤

The new law was kept on abeyance.
The new law was kept in abeyance.
💡the only correct preposition is 'in', not 'on', 'under', or 'at'.
The project abeyanced for six months.
The project was held in abeyance for six months.
💡'abeyance' is a noun, not a verb; it needs a supporting verb like 'hold' or 'keep'.