abandon

verb
UK: /əˈbændən/
US: /əˈbændən/

  1. To leave someone or something behind, especially in a difficult or dangerous situation.

    1. They had to abandon their car. [ ] [ ]
    2. The captain gave the order to abandon ship when the fire became uncontrollable. [ ] [ ]

  2. To stop doing or supporting something before it is finished.

    1. The project was abandoned due to lack of funding. [ ] [ ]
    2. After losing the first set, he seemed to abandon all hope of winning the match. [ ] [ ]

  3. To give up completely.

    1. She abandoned herself to despair. [ ] [ ]
    2. They abandoned any pretense of politeness and started shouting. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

relinquish forsake desert quit leave
abandon noun

  1. The state of being uncontrolled; freedom from constraint.

    1. She danced with abandon. [ ] [ ]
    2. The children played with complete abandon. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "abandon" in English means: To leave someone or something behind, especially in a difficult or dangerous situation., To stop doing or supporting something before it is finished., To give up completely..

The phonetic transcription of "abandon" is /əˈbændən/ in British English and /əˈbændən/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "abandon": relinquish, forsake, desert, quit, leave.

Example usage of "abandon": "They had to abandon their car.". More examples on the page.