abandon

[ uh-ban-duhn ]

/ əˈbæn dən /

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verb (used with object)

to leave completely and finally; forsake utterly; desert: to abandon one's farm; to abandon a child; to abandon a sinking ship.

to give up; discontinue; withdraw from: to abandon a research project; to abandon hopes for a stage career.

to give up the control of: to abandon a city to an enemy army.

to yield (oneself) without restraint or moderation; give (oneself) over to natural impulses, usually without self-control: to abandon oneself 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.

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Question 1 of 7

What does “Indigenous” mean?

characterized by cleverness or originality of invention or construction.

carried on abroad, or with other countries.

relating to or being a people who are the original, earliest known inhabitants of a region, or are their descendants.

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Origin of abandon

1325–75; Middle English abando(u)nen<Middle French abandoner for Old French (mettre) a bandon (put) under (someone's) jurisdiction, equivalent to a at, to (<Latin ad;see ad-) + bandon<Germanic *band;see bond¹

SYNONYMS FOR abandon

3 yield, surrender, resign, waive, abdicate.

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ANTONYMS FOR abandon

1 keep.

2 continue; begin, start.

3 retain.

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synonym study for abandon

1. See desert². 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 WORDS FROM abandon

a·ban·don·a·ble, adjectivea·ban·don·er, nouna·ban·don·ment, nounnon·a·ban·don·ment, noun

un·a·ban·don·ing, adjective

Words nearby abandon

Abakan, abalone, abamp, abampere, A band, abandon, abandoned, abandonee, Abandon hope, all ye who enter here, abandonware, abapical

Definition for abandon (2 of 2)

abandon²

[ uh-ban-duhn ]

/ əˈbæn dən /

noun

a complete surrender to natural impulses without restraint or moderation; freedom from inhibition or conventionality: to dance with reckless abandon.

Origin of abandon

1815–25; <French, noun derivative of abandonner to abandon¹

ANTONYMS FOR abandon

restraint, constraint.

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Example sentences from the Web for abandon

After an outbreak in Beijing in June, China abandoned its previous strategy of confining millions of people to their homes.
As infection rates rise, Europe embraces a ‘lockdown lite’ strategy|kdunn6|September 24, 2020|Fortune
Today, Rollins has largely abandoned his pursuit of the bonus payments from Medicaid.
He Wanted to Fix Rural America’s Broken Nursing Homes. Now, Taxpayers May Be on the Hook for $76 Million.|by Max Blau for Georgia Health News|September 22, 2020|ProPublica
A lifetime after Stewart turned in her stepfather and was abandoned to his abuses, four words cut across the years.
Her Stepfather Admitted to Sexually Abusing Her. That Wasn’t Enough to Keep Her Safe.|by Nadia Sussman|September 18, 2020|ProPublica
Well 20 in the Midway-Sunset field was drilled in 1927 and abandoned by Chevron in the 1980s.
Oil Companies Are Profiting From Illegal Spills. And California Lets Them.|by Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun, and Lylla Younes, ProPublica|September 18, 2020|ProPublica

Shell’s experience in 2015, when it abandoned plans to drill offshore in the Arctic under heavy pressure, indicate what other companies can expect.
The Trump administration opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil companies—but none may bite|By Scott L. Montgomery/The Conversation|August 26, 2020|Popular Science
Will he go for the schoolteacher and abandon the family, leaving behind his smashing dinner suits?
What Downton’s Fashion Really Means|Katie Baker|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
After the captain made the call to abandon ship, 150 people were able to escape on lifeboats lowered by electronic arms.
‘We’re Going to Die’: Survivors Recount Greek Ferry Fire Horror|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No one, of course, was “repressing” Klaus or preventing him from “expressing his views,” something he does with abandon.
Vaclav Klaus, Libertarian Hero, Has His Wings Clipped by Cato Institute|James Kirchick|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The show started filming in Israel over the summer, but was forced to abandon the location as political tensions escalated.
After The Fall: Introducing The Anti-Villain|Rich Goldstein|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Two years into an Arctic expedition, they were forced to abandon ship a thousand miles north of Siberia.
The Best Nonfiction Books of 2014|William O’Connor|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The pocket in the hills in which they lay was surely a safe and comfortable place, and one need be in no hurry to abandon it.
The Great Sioux Trail|Joseph Altsheler
But he kept on as he began, and by a common impulse the boys made up their minds to abandon the whole affair to him.
A Boy's Town|W. D. Howells
His story was, that he persuaded the Indians to abandon the British; that in the end we would ruin them, &c.
Narrative of the Suffering and Defeat of the North-Western Army, Under General Winchester|William Atherton
It is to the first-born, whether a boy or a girl, that the inheritance is transmitted, and he or she is forbidden to abandon it.
The Truth About Woman|C. Gasquoine Hartley
The words fire, energy, abandon, found in him unprecedented meanings.
Complete Prose Works|Walt Whitman

British Dictionary definitions for abandon

abandon

/ (əˈbændən) /

verb (tr)

to forsake completely; desert; leave behindto abandon a baby; drivers had to abandon their cars

abandon ship the order given to the crew of a ship that is about to sink to take to the lifeboats

to give up completelyto abandon a habit; to abandon hope

to yield control of or concern in; relinquishto abandon office

to give up (something begun) before completionto 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

freedom from inhibitions, restraint, concern, or worryshe danced with abandon

Derived forms of abandon

abandonment, noun

Word Origin for abandon

C14: abandounen (vb), from Old French, from a bandon under one's control, in one's power, from a at, to + bandon control, power

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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WORD OF THE DAY

abandon

verb (used with object)

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Origin of abandon

SYNONYMS FOR abandon

ANTONYMS FOR abandon

synonym study for abandon

OTHER WORDS FROM abandon

Words nearby abandon

Definition for abandon (2 of 2)

noun

Origin of abandon

ANTONYMS FOR abandon

Example sentences from the Web for abandon

British Dictionary definitions for abandon

verb (tr)

noun

Derived forms of abandon

Word Origin for abandon

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

abandon

verb (used with object)

QUIZZES

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Origin of abandon

SYNONYMS FOR abandon

ANTONYMS FOR abandon

synonym study for abandon

OTHER WORDS FROM abandon

Words nearby abandon

Definition for abandon (2 of 2)

noun

Origin of abandon

ANTONYMS FOR abandon

Words related to abandon

Example sentences from the Web for abandon

British Dictionary definitions for abandon

verb (tr)

noun

Derived forms of abandon

Word Origin for abandon