To abolish something means to officially end it completely and permanently, especially a law, system, or practice. When a government abolishes a law, that law no longer exists. When a school abolishes a rule, students don't have to follow it anymore because it's been wiped away entirely.

The word carries weight because it's usually reserved for eliminating something significant and often something harmful or outdated. America abolished slavery with the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, ending the legal practice of owning other human beings. Many countries have abolished the death penalty, deciding that executing criminals should no longer be part of their justice system.

You might hear about movements working to abolish child labor, which is when children are made to work in dangerous or unfair conditions, or efforts to abolish unfair voting restrictions. The word suggests a decisive, permanent end rather than just suspending or modifying something temporarily.

Abolish is stronger than simply “get rid of” or “stop.” When something is abolished, it's gone for good through official action. A teacher might cancel homework for one night, but if your school abolished homework entirely, it would mean no student would ever receive homework again. That finality is what makes abolish such a powerful word.