abandon
Americanverb (used with object)
-
abandons,
present (3rd person singular)
-
abandoned,
past participle, past
-
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.
-
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
-
was abandoningprogressive
-
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:
Would motorists abandon their cars and flee on foot because they were stuck in traffic, as they had in the Palisades?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Eisenkot would have to abandon his key platform to do so.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
"We didn't abandon seatbelts because people didn't want to buckle up, and we will not flinch at holding tech companies to account when our littlest citizens are at stake."
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
It was a matter of timing for many people, not reckless abandon as the mortgage loan officer would like us to believe.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
At the same time, he did not abandon hope of finding some way to budge the North Vietnamese.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
And Westlands Water District, the largest irrigation authority in the Central Valley, also said it plans to pull out of the program, arguing it abandons key parts of agreements negotiated with the state in 2022.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
But what happens when someone so known for their visual flair abandons alluring imagery altogether and lets their writing do all the work?
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026
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
He abandons Lily to social, financial and bodily ruin—an end that feels as inevitable as the downfall of Antigone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Like a child touched by tragedy, who grows up suddenly and abandons his playthings, Chacko dumped his toys.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
The medieval remains demonstrate that the ridge was used again many centuries after the prehistoric settlement had been abandoned.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
It abandoned the effort after regulators began asking questions about the product’s safety and opted to release the software behind it for free.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
He ended the letter by saying: "I left Brazil but I haven't abandoned Brazilians".
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Adyen shares fell 11% in early European trading after the company abandoned its midterm profitability target to accelerate investments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
“Isn’t it, Edda?” my aunt is saying, her hand firmly on my elbow, trying to draw me back into the conversation that I have abandoned.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Instead of abandoning a program he had been with since playing linebacker at there since he was 15 years old, he decided to remain as an assistant coach.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Leaving the UK behind has not meant abandoning education, Dani stressed.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
In his closing arguments, prosecutor Patricio Ferrai said that defendants' "chaotic organization" left the ailing player "in a helpless situation, abandoning him to his fate."
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Warsh appears to be adjusting the same way, by refining his approach rather than abandoning it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
For a brief moment, she thought about abandoning the mission altogether.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
