To resign means to formally give up a position or job, usually by choice. When someone resigns, they tell their employer or organization that they're leaving, often giving advance notice so the organization can find a replacement. A teacher might resign from their school to take a job in another state, or a club president might resign at the end of the year to focus on other activities.

The word carries a sense of official departure and completion. You don't resign from mowing your neighbor's lawn once or twice; you resign from ongoing responsibilities and formal positions. People resign for many reasons: better opportunities elsewhere, personal circumstances, or sometimes disagreement with how things are being run. In serious situations, officials or leaders might resign when they've made major mistakes or lost the trust of the people they serve.

Resign can also mean to accept something you can't change, though this meaning uses a slightly different pronunciation. When you're resigned to doing extra homework over vacation, you've accepted it without fighting it anymore. You might feel resigned to sitting through a boring assembly or resigned to the fact that your team lost the championship. This kind of resignation means accepting reality, even if you don't like it.