abandon
Americanverb (used with object)
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abandons,
present (3rd person singular)
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abandoned,
past participle, past
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abandoning
present participle
-
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.
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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.
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Law. to cast away, leave, or desert, as property or a child.
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Insurance. to relinquish (insured property) to the underwriter in case of partial loss, thus enabling the insured to claim a total loss.
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Obsolete. to banish.
noun
verb
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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
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to give up completely
to abandon a habit
to abandon hope
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to yield control of or concern in; relinquish
to abandon office
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to give up (something begun) before completion
to abandon a job
the game was abandoned
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to surrender (oneself) to emotion without restraint
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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
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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abandonsimple
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abandonssimple
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have abandonedperfect
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has abandonedperfect
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am abandoningprogressive
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are abandoningprogressive
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is abandoningprogressive
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have been abandoningperfect progressive
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has been abandoningperfect progressive
Past
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abandonedsimple
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had abandonedperfect
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was abandoningprogressive
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were abandoningprogressive
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had been abandoningperfect progressive
Future
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; see ad-) + bandon, from Germanic band (unrecorded); see bond 1; noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
To abandon something is to give it up completely. If you’re in a cabin and a forest fire approaches, you’d better get in your car and abandon your cabin, or else be prepared to abandon your life. If you abandon something, you let it go, so when you describe someone as "acting with abandon," it means they have let go of restrictions or inhibitions. Maybe you like to dance with abandon in the privacy of your own room. But abandon could also mean people have abandoned their senses. To "drive with abandon," for example, means to drive recklessly.
Vocabulary lists containing abandon
Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
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"The Perils of Indifference," Vocabulary from the speech
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"The Story of an Hour"
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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.
See Examples For:
Many investors abandon it exactly when they need it most: at the top of a cycle, when the thing they already own is working and everything else looks like a distraction.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
He’s not unaware that Meyers’ mostly 20-something male friends have — like many — romanticized the gritty abandon of lower Manhattan’s bygone literary scene and perhaps Ed’s tenuous place in it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
"The troops engaged the terrorists with effective fire, forcing them to abandon the victims and flee into adjoining bushes," he said, noting that all the hostages had been recovered without any casualties.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Under the departing President Gustavo Petro, a former leftist guerrilla, the government embarked on simultaneous peace negotiations with about a dozen narco-trafficking groups to urge them to disarm and abandon drug smuggling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
They couldn’t abandon you; they couldn’t fail you.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Even if Warsh’s Fed abandons that level of transparency, the minutes will still be useful for investors, according to Englander.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
The chip abandons the standard method of spreading light into a rainbow.
From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026
"I will not be a minister who abandons yet another generation of Territory kids," Cahill said when the details of the review were announced.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
She abandons her academic and career ambitions, takes a job as a court interpreter, and marries Michael, an affable nurse who has little idea of her emotional burdens.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
In the stories, the shepherd who abandons his duty is a villain.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
So after reading what felt like the hundredth article declaring that my generation had abandoned alcohol, nightlife and socializing altogether, I started wondering whether I was missing something.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Some of the vehicles abandoned by foreign forces went on display this week, including a Humvee covered in dusty footprints and wrapped in fairy lights.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
In a brief preface Mr. Hoffman has also told us about wrens colonizing an abandoned swallows’ nest above the door of the house he shares with his wife, Julia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
It’s believed she parked her Hyundai — which was found abandoned by authorities three days later — near Doane Pond, about two miles into the recreational area, after purchasing a parking pass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
What if he’d been wrong about being abandoned on the road?
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
The blaze began on Sunday 9 August when a van caught fire on the A31, with 23 drivers abandoning their vehicles as the fire took hold.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
According to one former CIA officer, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, the group is one of the few institutions in Cuba's government with an interest in abandoning the decades-old communist economic model.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
The research doesn’t suggest abandoning the traditional 70% to 80% income-replacement rule.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
The process has never been tested, and right now former state Rep. Charles Booker, a Democrat, and GOP Rep. Andy Barr are squaring off for the seat McConnell is abandoning.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
But with Max abandoning us the way he was, I could feel my Circle of Friendship shrinking.
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
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.
