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. abandon ship
   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

   the game was abandoned

   to abandon a job

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

Derived Forms

• aˈbandonment, noun

Other Words From

• a·ban·don·a·ble adjective
• a·ban·don·er noun
• a·ban·don·ment noun
• un·a·ban·don·ing 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

The policy was abandoned when Labour took office.

From BBC

Northamptonshire Police have released an image of Mr Lamba in east London, which officers believe was taken after he abandoned his wife's body in the car.

From BBC

Minutes after abandoning the interview, we received a lawyer’s letter on behalf of Paul, warning us of the possible consequences if we published our findings.

From BBC

The film opens with our feline encountering a pack of overzealous canines in the blooming forest before napping in a seemingly abandoned Northern European-inspired home.

From Los Angeles Times

Instead, visitors were confronted with an “abandoned and empty warehouse” filled with drab props, with actors reading from an AI-generated script.

From BBC

Related Words

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