abandon
Americanverb (used with object)
-
abandons,
present (3rd person singular)
-
abandoned,
past participle, past
-
abandoning
present participle
-
to leave completely and finally; forsake utterly; desert.
The crew finally abandoned the sinking ship and boarded a lifeboat.
He abandoned his wife and children, leaving them in poverty.
- Antonyms:
- keep
-
to give up; withdraw from; discontinue.
She had to abandon the research project when the grant money dried up.
I’ve abandoned all hope of a stage career.
-
to give up the control of.
After a long struggle, they abandoned the city to the invading army.
- Antonyms:
- retain
-
to yield (oneself) without restraint or moderation; give (oneself) over to natural impulses, usually without self-control.
After the breakup, he fell apart and abandoned himself to grief.
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Law. to cast away, leave, or desert, as property or a child.
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Insurance. to relinquish (insured property) to the underwriter in case of partial loss, thus enabling the insured to claim a total loss.
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Obsolete. to banish.
noun
verb
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to forsake completely; desert; leave behind
to abandon a baby
drivers had to abandon their cars
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the order given to the crew of a ship that is about to sink to take to the lifeboats
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to give up completely
to abandon a habit
to abandon hope
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to yield control of or concern in; relinquish
to abandon office
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to give up (something begun) before completion
to abandon a job
the game was abandoned
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to surrender (oneself) to emotion without restraint
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to give (insured property that has suffered partial loss or damage) to the insurers in order that a claim for a total loss may be made
noun
Synonym Usage
See desert 2. Abandon, relinquish, renounce mean to give up all concern in something. Abandon means to give up or discontinue any further interest in something because of discouragement, weariness, distaste, or the like: to abandon one's efforts. Relinquish implies being or feeling compelled to give up something one would prefer to keep: to relinquish a long-cherished desire. Renounce implies making (and perhaps formally stating) a voluntary decision to give something up: to renounce worldly pleasures.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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abandonsimple
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abandonssimple
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have abandonedperfect
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has abandonedperfect
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am abandoningprogressive
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are abandoningprogressive
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is abandoningprogressive
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have been abandoningperfect progressive
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has been abandoningperfect progressive
Past
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abandonedsimple
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had abandonedperfect
-
was abandoningprogressive
-
were abandoningprogressive
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had been abandoningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of abandon
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English verb abando(u)nen, from Middle French abandoner, from Old French (mettre) a bandon “(put) under (someone's) jurisdiction,” equivalent to a “at, to” (from Latin ad; see ad-) + bandon, from Germanic band (unrecorded); see bond 1; noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
To abandon something is to give it up completely. If you’re in a cabin and a forest fire approaches, you’d better get in your car and abandon your cabin, or else be prepared to abandon your life. If you abandon something, you let it go, so when you describe someone as "acting with abandon," it means they have let go of restrictions or inhibitions. Maybe you like to dance with abandon in the privacy of your own room. But abandon could also mean people have abandoned their senses. To "drive with abandon," for example, means to drive recklessly.
Vocabulary lists containing abandon
Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
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"The Perils of Indifference," Vocabulary from the speech
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"The Story of an Hour"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Edgar-Jones makes us feel the yearning beneath Elinor’s calm reserve and Creed-Miles dazzles, conveying Marianne’s open-hearted abandon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
"We didn't abandon seatbelts because people didn't want to buckle up, and we will not flinch at holding tech companies to account when our littlest citizens are at stake."
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
It was a matter of timing for many people, not reckless abandon as the mortgage loan officer would like us to believe.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
Zakhavko and her husband had resisted leaving Oleshky in large part because they didn’t want to abandon her parents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
Perhaps it was the old Jansenist antiscience creed that was building up in him, but for whatever the reason, Pascal’s newfound devotion led him to abandon mathematics and science altogether.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
If a child abandons that relationship, the decision was not made lightly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
The chip abandons the standard method of spreading light into a rainbow.
From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026
Unless the Fed abandons that risk-management framework, focusing on a narrower inflation measure would not materially change policy if inflation risks are skewed one way or another.
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
She abandons her academic and career ambitions, takes a job as a court interpreter, and marries Michael, an affable nurse who has little idea of her emotional burdens.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
For now, she abandons it and watches Marco as he crosses the room to reach the bookcases lining the wall.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
With character recognition rates ranging between 88 and 94 percent, the project has revealed information about the cathedral's daily life, its building work, its staff and the care of abandoned children.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The abandoned Romanesque Revival-style building has been the source of numerous complaints to the city’s Department of Building and Safety since the initial fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Zakhavko’s husband began scavenging for food in abandoned apartments early this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
The next day, at a news conference at an abandoned shipyard, Newsom publicly rebuked Solano County’s leadership.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
They took down abandoned buildings and hauled away truckloads of litter.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
Leaving the UK behind has not meant abandoning education, Dani stressed.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Tigray rebels were abandoning their regional capital in northern Ethiopia on Saturday, a local journalist and residents told AFP, as pro-government forces advanced on the city.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
“I’m getting a lot of emails from people saying that ‘we’re abandoning Metrolink.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
That issue nearly resulted in SpaceX abandoning its plan to send the rocket to orbit.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
The thought of abandoning my team and sabotaging their chances at a win...
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
