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

• abandonment noun
• abandonable adjective
• abandoner 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

Even the kinder ones who persuade her and Andy to join them on a scavenging run to what looks like an abandoned space station treat him as expendable.

From Salon

While Rocky moved away and thrived, Roman withered in inadequacy feeling abandoned.

From Los Angeles Times

And in the case of abandoning mRNA vaccine research, it may lead to lives needlessly lost, whether due to potential medicines untapped or to pandemic unpreparedness.

From Salon

Ives doesn’t expect customers to abandon Prime due to Amazon’s latest move because he said many view the service as being as essential as their utilities or TV service.

From Los Angeles Times

Galeotti soon abandoned his own career and started to work at his lover's side.

From BBC

Related Words

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