abandon

[uh-ban-duhn]

verb (used with object)

1. 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

2. 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.

   Antonyms: start, begin, continue

3. to give up the control of.

   After a long struggle, they abandoned the city to the invading army.

   Synonyms: abdicate, waive, resign, surrender, yield
   Antonyms: retain

4. 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.

5. Law.,  to cast away, leave, or desert, as property or a child.

6. Insurance.,  to relinquish (insured property) to the underwriter in case of partial loss, thus enabling the insured to claim a total loss.

7. Obsolete.,  to banish.

noun

1. a complete surrender to natural impulses without restraint or moderation; freedom from inhibition.

   During this retreat you will learn to play and dance with reckless abandon.

abandon

/ əˈbændən /

verb

1. to forsake completely; desert; leave behind

   to abandon a baby

   drivers had to abandon their cars

2. the order given to the crew of a ship that is about to sink to take to the lifeboats

3. to give up completely

   to abandon a habit

   to abandon hope

4. to yield control of or concern in; relinquish

   to abandon office

5. to give up (something begun) before completion

   to abandon a job

   the game was abandoned

6. to surrender (oneself) to emotion without restraint

7. 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

1. freedom from inhibitions, restraint, concern, or worry

   she danced with abandon

Other Word Forms

• abandonable adjective
• abandoner noun
• abandonment noun
• unabandoning adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of abandon¹

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; ad- ) + bandon, from Germanic band (unrecorded); bond ¹; noun derivative of the verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of abandon¹

C14: abandounen (vb), from Old French, from a bandon under one's control, in one's power, from a at, to + bandon control, power

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

How could the world ask a nation to abandon its citizens to captivity while letting Hamas militants—the hostage-takers and torturers—continue to hold hostages and terrorize Israel?

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Disability Action's Head of Accessibility Nuala Toman has called on Government to abandon its plans, saying the moves would, "punish people for being disabled and push many deeper into poverty and isolation."

Read more on BBC

"This temporary state renders the shark defenseless, allowing the orcas to extract its nutrient-rich liver and likely consume other organs as well, before abandoning the rest of the carcass," explained Higuera.

Read more on Science Daily

But producing so-called "green hydrogen" remains a challenge, and the sector is still struggling to take off in Europe, with a multitude of projects abandoned or delayed.

Read more on Barron's

Still, neither Sennott nor Barrie is necessarily eager to abandon either of the cities informing their characters’ lives.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• desert 
• discard 
• discontinue 
• ditch 
• drop out 
• dump 
• leave 
• pull out 
• quit 
• stop 
• surrender 
• vacate 
• withdraw