ABANDON Definition & Meaning

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abandon

[ uh-ban-duhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (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:
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: , ,
to give up the control of:
After a long struggle, they abandoned the city to the invading army.
Synonyms: , , , ,
Antonyms:
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

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

/ əˈ��æ�Ի�ə�� /

verb

to forsake completely; desert; leave behind
to abandon a baby
drivers had to abandon their cars
abandon ship
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
the game was abandoned
to abandon a job
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

freedom from inhibitions, restraint, concern, or worry
she danced with abandon

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Derived Forms

��ˈ��Ի�ǲԳ��Գ�, noun

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�y��vlog 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

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�y��vlog 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

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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.

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Example Sentences

To a stranger’s eye, the village looks almost abandoned.

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Musk’s decision to merge the businesses is a win for X investors, who have endured more than two years of uncertainty since his takeover as advertisers and users abandoned the social network.

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If approved, that would give Rafa a green card on the basis of being a child who was abused, abandoned or neglected by a parent.

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They said the state adopted ambitious water recycling goals in 2009 but those targets were effectively abandoned under a state strategy adopted in 2022.

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The guidelines have now been abandoned after ministers tabled an emergency law to override them on Tuesday.

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