What does "abandon" mean?
A yielding to natural impulses or inhibitions; freedom from artificial constraint, with loss of appreciation of consequences. (Now especially in the phrase with abandon.)
Abandon
/əˈbæn.dən/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A yielding to natural impulses or inhibitions; freedom from artificial constraint, with loss of appreciation of consequences. (Now especially in the phrase with abandon.)
- Grammar: abandon is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: desert, forsake, give up, vacate.
- Useful contrasts: biological parent, civil progress plan, communal decision making model.
- Usage evidence: There are days where I feel like my brain wants to abandon me.
How to use "abandon"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "abandon" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "abandon" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "abandon" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "abandon" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "abandon" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "desert" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "abandon", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A yielding to natural impulses or inhibitions; freedom from artificial constraint, with loss of appreciation of consequences. (Now especially in the phrase with abandon.) countable, uncountable
"with gay abandon, with wild abandon"
- 2 the trait of lacking restraint or control; reckless freedom from inhibition or worry wordnet
- 3 Abandonment; relinquishment. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 4 a feeling of extreme emotional intensity wordnet
Verb
- 1 To give up or relinquish control of, to surrender or to give oneself over, or to yield to one's emotions. transitive
"[…] he abandoned himself […] to his favourite vice."
- 2 stop maintaining or insisting on; of ideas or claims wordnet
- 3 To desist in doing, practicing, following, holding, or adhering to; to turn away from; to permit to lapse; to renounce; to discontinue. transitive
"In order to grant the rich these pleasures, the social contract is reconfigured. […] The public realm is privatised, the regulations restraining the ultra–wealthy and the companies they control are abandoned, and Edwardian levels of inequality are almost fetishised."
- 4 leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch wordnet
- 5 To leave behind; to desert, as in a ship, a position, or a person, typically in response to overwhelming odds or impending dangers; to forsake, in spite of a duty or responsibility. transitive
"Many baby girls have been abandoned on the streets of Beijing."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 leave behind empty; move out of wordnet
- 7 To subdue; to take control of. obsolete, transitive
- 8 give up with the intent of never claiming again wordnet
- 9 To cast out; to banish; to expel; to reject. obsolete, transitive
"Being all this time abandoned from your bed."
- 10 forsake, leave behind wordnet
- 11 To no longer exercise a right, title, or interest, especially with no interest of reclaiming it again; to yield; to relinquish. transitive
"I hereby abandon my position as manager."
- 12 To surrender to the insurer (an insured item), so as to claim a total loss. transitive
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
biological parentcivil progress plancommunal decision making modelcomplete search
Example
"There are days where I feel like my brain wants to abandon me."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "abandon"?
Common synonyms include: desert, forsake, give up, vacate, abandonment, abdicate.
How do you use "abandon" in a sentence?
There are days where I feel like my brain wants to abandon me.
How do you pronounce "abandon"?
Pronounced /əˈbæn.dən/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English abandounen, from Old French abandoner, formed from a (“at, to”) + bandon (“jurisdiction, control”), from Late Latin bannum (“proclamation”), bannus, bandum, from Frankish *ban, *bann, from Proto-Germanic *bannaną (“to proclaim, command”) (whence English ban), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to speak”). See also ban, banal. Displaced Middle English forleten (“to abandon”), from Old English forlǣtan, anforlǣtan; see forlet; and Middle English forleven (“to leave behind, abandon”), from Old English forlǣfan; see forleave.
Etymology 2
From Middle English abandoun, from Old French abandon, from Old French abondonner.