1. To eliminate altogether or to get rid of; to completely destroy: The school decided not to abolish the required physical education program.

The decision of the school principal to abolish cheerleaders during football games upset both parents and students.

The teacher abolished all the mathematical equations from the chalkboard when he wiped it clean.

People in Mark's neighborhood tried to abolish the noise made by other people's dogs during the night.

2. To do away with wholly; to annul; to make void; said of laws, customs, institutions, governments, etc., such as to abolish slavery, to abolish illegal drugs: The edict from the mayor's office abolishes the requirement to license pets.

Some people are trying to abolish the death penalty.

3. To put an end to, or to destroy; such as, physical objects; to wipe out: In his famous speech, the president abolished the use of the term "freaks" when referring to individuals with abnormalities in circuses and carnivals.
4. Used especially in legal circles to indicate the annulment of a law: Compulsory military service in the United States has been abolished, so the services now have volunteers as members.
5. Etymology: borrowed from Middle French aboliss-, stem of abolir, "to abolish, to do away with"; a borrowing from Latin abolere, "to cause to die out, to retard the growth of" from ab- "from" + -adolere, "to grow, to nourish" and is said by some etymological sources to be related to adolescere, "to grow up".