abandon

1 of 2

verb

aban·​don ə-ˈban-dən How to pronounce abandon (audio)
abandoned; abandoning; abandons

transitive verb

1
a
: to give up to the control or influence of another person or agent
b
: to give up with the intent of never again claiming a right or interest in
abandon property
2
: to withdraw from often in the face of danger or encroachment
abandon ship
soldiers forced to abandon their position
3
: to withdraw protection, support, or help from
he abandoned his family
4
: to give (oneself) over unrestrainedly
abandoned himself to a life of self-indulgence
5
a
: to cease from maintaining, practicing, or using
abandoned their native language
b
: to cease intending or attempting to perform
abandoned the escape
abandoner noun

abandon

2 of 2

noun

: a thorough yielding to natural impulses
especially : enthusiasm, exuberance
with reckless abandon

Did you know?

You may associate this word with the act of leaving and never returning, given the familiarity of the verb abandon. But the noun abandon, with its more pleasant connotations of freedom, is likely here to stay despite being a relative newcomer. It only entered the English language in the early 1800s, as a borrowing from French that goes back to an Old French word meaning “surrender.” (English had borrowed the verb abandon centuries before from the French speakers living in medieval England.) Louisa May Alcott recognized the word's utility; she used it of Jo in Little Women, writing that “when the writing fit came on, she gave herself up to it with entire abandon, and led a blissful life, unconscious of want, care, or bad weather ...”

Choose the Right Synonym for abandon

abandon, desert, forsake mean to leave without intending to return.

abandon suggests that the thing or person left may be helpless without protection.

abandoned children

desert implies that the object left may be weakened but not destroyed by one's absence.

a deserted town

forsake suggests an action more likely to bring impoverishment or bereavement to that which is forsaken than its exposure to physical dangers.

a forsaken lover

synonyms see in addition relinquish

Examples of abandon in a Sentence

Verb They abandoned the car on a back road. That house was abandoned years ago. The approaching fire forced hundreds of people to abandon their homes. The officer refused to abandon his post. The policy abandons the most vulnerable members of society. She abandoned the party not long after the election. Noun added spices to the stew with complete abandon
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Others have been abandoning the region, such as agricultural machinery group CNH Industrial NV, which delisted from Milan to leave New York as its primary listing. Joe Easton, Fortune Europe, 11 Mar. 2024 Jihan and Ahmed soon abandoned their possessions and fled to the countryside with their relatives, taking shelter in an empty house offered by a local family. Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Friday's attack on Propel Fortune came after a Houthi missile struck a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, killing three of its crew members and forcing survivors to abandon the vessel. Jon Gambrell, Quartz, 9 Mar. 2024 On March 29, 1989, her unoccupied vehicle was found on the side of the road and was towed by police the following day, as it was presumed abandoned. Amanda Jackson, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 The very end of Part Two hints at potentially promising deviation from the books, showing a betrayed-looking Chani abandoning Paul’s army, setting up a potentially more antagonistic relationship between the lovers in Part Three. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 Her rescuers believe the dog received care at some point but was later abandoned. Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 At least six other mariners were injured, and the crew has abandoned ship, one U.S. official added. Andrew jeong, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Not pursuing future third-party IP might make business sense, but abandoning a project that would so obviously be a huge hit is perplexing and disappointing to say the least. Erik Kain, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Noun
Headwinds have always blown around in business English, but the phrase economic headwinds serves a special purpose: a majestic waving of the hand, an abandon to the fates, an inkling of force majeure. Sam Dean, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Cooper’s entire performance is about that kind of peek-a-boo: a study in the contractions of freedom, how a person can live with such physical abandon while burying spiritual turmoil. Wesley Morris, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024 Anthony Lacy, who scored eight points, threw his body around with such abandon that Watkins had to limit his minutes. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2024 This practiced chaos is a deceptively difficult art, one that requires both intense focus and a joyful abandon. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 8 Dec. 2023 Celebrities have been wearing ribbons and bows in their hair with adorable abandon, with stars like Jennifer Lopez, Mandy Moore, and most recently Megan Fox all putting their spins on it. Marci Robin, Allure, 12 Feb. 2024 With cocktails clinking, the characters have a sense of abandon — good and bad. Melena Ryzik, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2024 And yet, no other version approaches the reckless abandon, the garage-rock swagger or the menace of the Monkees’ seminal recording. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 7 Jan. 2024 Safer started out as a go-go dancer, and approaches dance with total abandon and exuberance. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abandon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English abandounen, borrowed from Anglo-French abanduner, derivative of abandun "surrender, abandonment," from the phrase a bandun "in one's power, at one's disposal," from a "at, to" (going back to Latin ad "to") + bandun "jurisdiction," going back to a Gallo-Romance derivative of Old Low Franconian *bann- "summons, command" (with -d- probably from outcomes of Germanic *bandwō "sign") — more at at entry 1, ban entry 1, banner entry 1

Noun

borrowed from French, in part derivative of abandonner "to abandon," in part going back to Old French abandon, abandun "surrender" — more at abandon entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1815, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of abandon was in the 14th century

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near abandon

Cite this Entry

“Abandon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abandon. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

abandon

1 of 2 verb
aban·​don ə-ˈban-dən How to pronounce abandon (audio)
1
: to give up completely
2
: to withdraw from often in the face of danger
abandon ship
3
: to withdraw protection, support, or help from
abandoned the dog
4
: to give oneself up to an emotion
abandoner noun
abandonment noun

abandon

2 of 2 noun
: a complete yielding to natural impulses

Legal Definition

abandon

transitive verb
aban·​don
1
: to give up with the intent of never again asserting or claiming an interest in (a right or property)
2
: to disassociate oneself from or forsake in spite of a duty or responsibility to
abandon one's child
3
: to renounce one's obligations and rights under
abandon a contract
4
: to fail purposely to bring to completion or fruition
abandon a crime
abandon a lawsuit

More from Merriam-Webster on abandon

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!