abortion
Also called voluntary abortion. the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy.
any of various surgical methods for terminating a pregnancy, especially during the first six months.
Also called spontaneous abortion. miscarriage (def. 1).
an immature and nonviable fetus.
any malformed or monstrous person, thing, etc.
Biology. the arrested development of an embryo or an organ at a more or less early stage.
the stopping of an illness, infection, etc., at a very early stage.
Informal.
shambles; mess.
anything that fails to develop, progress, or mature, as a design or project.
Origin of abortion
1Other words from abortion
- post·a·bor·tion, adjective
Words Nearby abortion
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use abortion in a sentence
Last year, nine states passed bills restricting abortion rights.
Lynch has long had a reputation for being a moderate, especially because of his more conservative stance on abortion rights.
Today’s Elections In Massachusetts Are Another Big Test For The Progressive Movement | Nathaniel Rakich (nathaniel.rakich@fivethirtyeight.com) | September 1, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightThe second night starred an anti-abortion activist whose tale about the horrors of Planned Parenthood had been exposed as a fraud more than 10 years ago.
Clarkson has been seen as a crusader for conservative positions on same-sex marraige and abortion.
Alaska’s Attorney General Resigns Hours After We Published “Uncomfortable” Texts He Sent to a Younger Colleague | by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News | August 25, 2020 | ProPublicaBefore being appointed in late 2018, Clarkson had been a champion of Christian conservative views on social issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion.
Alaska’s Attorney General on Unpaid Leave After Sending Hundreds of “Uncomfortable” Texts to a Young Colleague | by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News | August 25, 2020 | ProPublica
Most often, the doctrine is invoked by minors seeking an abortion without parental consent.
The language of this bill is a de facto abortion ban for most pregnant federal prisoners.
In other words, unnecessarily stringent abortion regulation could be far more dangerous than abortion itself.
Abortion Complications Are Rare, No Matter What the Right Says | Samantha Allen | December 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnti-abortion organizations tend to tend to propagate the idea that the procedure is dangerous and unproven.
Abortion Complications Are Rare, No Matter What the Right Says | Samantha Allen | December 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTPlanned Parenthood, on the other hand, describes abortion as “very safe.”
Abortion Complications Are Rare, No Matter What the Right Says | Samantha Allen | December 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt seems to mean—'who very often seek after destroyed increase (abortion) and the play of love.'
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey ChaucerThey did not know enough to prevent conception, but they did the best they could by means of abortion and infanticide.
The Book of Life: Vol. I Mind and Body; Vol. II Love and Society | Upton SinclairEndemics of abortion depend on the impalpable vapors that arise from the quicksilver mines of Spain.
The Education of American Girls | Anna Callender BrackettSome think that a load-stone laid upon the navel, keeps a woman from abortion.
The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher | AnonymousAnd so on until our whole system of abortion, intimidation, tyranny, cruelty and the rest is in full swing again.
A Treatise on Parents and Children | George Bernard Shaw
British Dictionary definitions for abortion
/ (əˈbɔːʃən) /
an operation or other procedure to terminate pregnancy before the fetus is viable
the premature termination of pregnancy by spontaneous or induced expulsion of a nonviable fetus from the uterus
the products of abortion; an aborted fetus
the arrest of development of an organ
a failure to develop to completion or maturity: the project proved an abortion
a person or thing that is deformed
Derived forms of abortion
- abortional, adjective
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
Scientific definitions for abortion
[ ə-bôr′shən ]
Induced termination of pregnancy, involving destruction of the embryo or fetus.
Any of various procedures that result in such termination.
Spontaneous abortion; miscarriage.
Cessation of a normal or abnormal process before completion.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for abortion (1 of 2)
The deliberate termination of a pregnancy, usually before the embryo or fetus is capable of independent life. In medical contexts, this procedure is called an induced abortion and is distinguished from a spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) or stillbirth.
Notes for abortion
The ending of pregnancy and expulsion of the embryo or fetus, generally before the embryo or fetus is capable of surviving on its own. Abortion may be brought on intentionally by artificial means (induced abortion) or may occur naturally (spontaneous abortion, which is commonly referred to as a miscarriage). (Compare stillbirth; see also family planning and population control.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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