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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Other 51�Թ� Forms

��·��·��ǲ�·��·�� adjective
��·��·��ǲ�·�� noun
��·��·��ǲ�·��Գ� noun
�ܲ�·��·��·��ǲ�·��Բ� adjective

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51�Թ� 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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51�Թ� 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

Examples have not been reviewed.

The rats are trained to sniff out chemicals that are found in landmines and other weapons abandoned on battlefields.

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Plans for the UK's first deep coal mine in more than 30 years have officially been abandoned.

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McCartney happened to be visiting Lennon in New York at the time and they briefly considered shocking the world by hightailing it down to Rockefeller Center, but the idea was abandoned.

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There's now, of course, a discourse about whether one is abandoning the fight or if it's more effective to fight from exile.

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She texted, called and left a voice message apologizing for abandoning Aldrete, saying, "I had to separate myself from all of this."

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