abandon
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
-
Law. to cast away, leave, or desert, as property or a child.
-
Insurance. to relinquish (insured property) to the underwriter in case of partial loss, thus enabling the insured to claim a total loss.
-
Obsolete. to banish.
noun
verb
-
to forsake completely; desert; leave behind
to abandon a baby
drivers had to abandon their cars
-
the order given to the crew of a ship that is about to sink to take to the lifeboats
-
to give up completely
to abandon a habit
to abandon hope
-
to yield control of or concern in; relinquish
to abandon office
-
to give up (something begun) before completion
to abandon a job
the game was abandoned
-
to surrender (oneself) to emotion without restraint
-
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
Related Words
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
- abandonable adjective
- abandoner noun
- abandonment noun
- unabandoning adjective
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; ad- ) + bandon, from Germanic band (unrecorded); bond 1; noun derivative of the verb
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.
Discovery says that fee provides insufficient compensation for the costs it would incur by abandoning its agreement with Netflix.
The short and somber clip starts with a look at some wreckage within the abandoned halls of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters — the home base of the X-Men.
From Los Angeles Times
The country grew wealthier overall, but too many were left without meaningful paths to participate in that growth and felt abandoned.
From MarketWatch
With all the issues the Angels are facing amid a long playoff drought, should their fans abandon the team and root for the Dodgers or some other team?
From Los Angeles Times
A former Philippine air force general accused of encouraging the military to abandon President Ferdinand Marcos was arrested on a charge of sedition Monday at Manila's international airport.
From Barron's
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.
