abort

[uh-bawrt]

verb (used without object)

1. to bring forth a fetus from the uterus before the fetus is viable; miscarry.

2. to develop incompletely; remain in a rudimentary or undeveloped state.

3. to fail, cease, or stop at an early or premature stage.

4. Military.,  to fail to accomplish a purpose or mission for any reason other than enemy action.

5. Rocketry.,  (of a missile) to stop before the scheduled flight is completed.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to bring forth (a fetus) from the uterus before the fetus is viable.

2. to cause (a pregnant female) to be delivered of a nonviable fetus.

3. to cause to cease or end at an early or premature stage.

   We aborted our vacation when the car broke down.

4. to terminate (a missile flight, mission, etc.) before completion.

5. to put down or quell in the early stages.

   Troops aborted the uprising.

noun

1. a missile, rocket, etc., that has aborted.

abort

/ əˈbɔːt /

verb

1. to undergo or cause (a woman) to undergo the termination of pregnancy before the fetus is viable

2. (tr) to cause (a fetus) to be expelled from the womb before it is viable

3. (intr) to fail to come to completion; go wrong

4. (tr) to stop the development of; cause to be abandoned

5. (intr) to give birth to a dead or nonviable fetus

6. (of a space flight, military operation, etc) to fail or terminate prematurely

7. (intr) (of an organism or part of an organism) to fail to develop into the mature form

noun

1. the premature termination or failure of (a space flight, military operation, etc)

Other Word Forms

• unaborted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of abort¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin abortus “miscarried,” past participle of aborīrī “to disappear, miscarry,” equivalent to ab- ab- + orīrī “to rise, come into being”; orient ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of abort¹

C16: from Latin abortāre, from the past participle of aborīrī to miscarry, from ab- wrongly, badly + orīrī to appear, arise, be born

Example Sentences

The Maryland-based TV station owner’s tactics in an aborted takeover of Tribune Media drew FCC scrutiny.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Watson was heavily criticised for saying that women should have the right to abort her unborn child if tests proved it would be homosexual.

Read more on BBC

The aborted deal also leaves Lukoil’s global network—a portfolio spanning major refineries in Europe, oil fields in the Middle East and gas stations around the world—hanging in the balance.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

An attempt to spend time with Sussex as a local player in 2008 was aborted.

Read more on BBC

The video of the aborted detention reviewed by the Times contradicts public accounts by Department of Homeland Security officials, who said Parias had “previously escaped from custody.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• break off 
• cut off 
• halt 
• interrupt 
• nullify 
• scrap 
• scrub 
• terminate