abandon
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
-
Law. to cast away, leave, or desert, as property or a child.
-
Insurance. to relinquish (insured property) to the underwriter in case of partial loss, thus enabling the insured to claim a total loss.
-
Obsolete. to banish.
noun
verb
-
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
-
to give up completely
to abandon a habit
to abandon hope
-
to yield control of or concern in; relinquish
to abandon office
-
to give up (something begun) before completion
to abandon a job
the game was abandoned
-
to surrender (oneself) to emotion without restraint
-
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
Related Words
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
- abandonable adjective
- abandoner noun
- abandonment noun
- unabandoning adjective
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; ad- ) + bandon, from Germanic band (unrecorded); bond 1; noun derivative of the verb
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.
The trend has also led police forces to appeal to parents to warn their children of the dangers of going into abandoned buildings.
From BBC
For instance, in May 2024 supporters of fellow French club Troyes, part of the City Football Group, protested by throwing flares on to the pitch and getting a match against Valenciennes abandoned.
From BBC
Herbert fought gamely, running with abandon despite his broken left hand, but he unable to spark any offensive consistency.
From Los Angeles Times
The way to do that would be by abandoning nuclear enrichment.
From Salon
"Do not abandon the streets. My heart is with you. I know that I will soon be by your side," he said.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
