abandon

[ uh-ban-duhn ]

/ əˈbæn dən /

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See synonyms for: abandon / abandoned / abandoning / abandoner on Thesaurus.com

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; withdraw from; discontinue: 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR abandon

3 yield, surrender, resign, waive, abdicate.

See synonyms for abandon on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR abandon

1 keep.

2 continue; begin, start.

3 retain.

See antonyms for abandon on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

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Origin of abandon

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

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, nounun·a·ban·don·ing, adjective

Other definitions 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.

OPPOSITES FOR abandon

restraint, constraint.

See antonyms for abandon on Thesaurus.com

Origin of abandon

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use abandon in a sentence

As we equip more and more merchants with our point-of-sale financing option, we continue to see data that points to larger orders, fewer abandoned carts and improved customer acquisition.
LA-based Credit Key raises $33 million for its business-to-business payments platform|Jonathan Shieber|November 20, 2020|TechCrunch
A good example is the automated and personalized abandonment messages that BreadBrand sends to customers that abandoned their carts.
Email marketing in 2020: Four key things that made the difference|Toby Nwazor|November 19, 2020|Search Engine Watch
GPS tracking can also help cities monitor where scooters are being parked or abandoned, and ultimately control where they’re being used.
E-scooters are getting computer vision to curb pedestrian collisions|Dalvin Brown|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
“Memorial,” by Bryan WashingtonA relationship is tested when a man leaves the country to care for his dying father, abandoning his visiting mother with his boyfriend.
50 notable works of fiction in 2020||November 19, 2020|Washington Post

The city already abandoned plans to resume in-person teaching this month because it didn’t have sufficient staffing.
Once again, a deal between D.C. and the teachers union collapses|Perry Stein|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
How do you feel about Archer and the gang abandoning the cartel and returning to the office?
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Secondly, as GBCE reports, it puts the kids themselves at a higher risk of dropping out of school, or abandoning it all together.
The Radio Battle to Educate Ebola’s Kids|Abby Haglage|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She grew up believing her biological mother had died after abandoning her as a baby.
How One Young Woman Escaped Childhood Abuse and a Forced Marriage|Moral Courage|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As the United States becomes more and more disjointed, an increasing number of Americans favors abandoning the Union altogether.
America’s Slumbering Secession Obsession|James Poulos|September 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Should Courage give up her war profiteering and settle down to run an honest pub—even if it means abandoning her mute girl?
Brecht's Mercenary Mother Courage Turns 75|Katie Baker|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But madame, woman-like, returned to the matter whose abandoning she had herself suggested.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
But, without abandoning painting, he allowed himself to be diverted by other arts.
Charles Baudelaire, His Life|Thophile Gautier
"That thing he played sounded familiar to me, too," Grace admitted, now entirely abandoning her magazine and sitting up.
The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle|Laura Lee Hope
At the close of the last century there existed a religious sect who were in favour of abandoning the use of clothing.
A Cursory History of Swearing|Julian Sharman
His royal highness, however, did not intimate his intention of abandoning the Orange institutions.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan

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

abandon

OTHER WORDS FOR abandon

OPPOSITES FOR abandon

Origin of abandon

synonym study for abandon

OTHER WORDS FROM abandon

Other definitions for abandon (2 of 2)

OPPOSITES FOR abandon

Origin of abandon

Words related to abandon

How to use abandon in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for abandon

Derived forms of abandon

Word Origin for abandon