Abortion
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 The expulsion from the womb of a foetus or embryo before it is fully developed, with loss of the foetus.; A spontaneous abortion; a miscarriage. countable, uncountable
"Swines-bread, so used, doth not onely speed / A tardy labour; but (without great heed) / If over it a Child-great Woman stride, / Instant abortion often doth betide."
- 2 termination of pregnancy wordnet
- 3 The expulsion from the womb of a foetus or embryo before it is fully developed, with loss of the foetus.; An induced abortion. countable, uncountable
"Mary decided to have an abortion because she was too young to raise a baby."
- 4 failure of a plan wordnet
- 5 An aborted foetus; an abortus. archaic, countable, uncountable
"‘It seems too hairy for an abortion, and too small for a mature birth.’"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A misshapen person or thing; a monstrosity. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"Insomuch that I do honestly believe, there can be no place in the world, where such intolerable abortions, begotten of the sculptor’s chisel, are to be found in such profusion, as in Rome."
- 7 Failure or abandonment of a project, promise, goal etc. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"The returning good sense of our country threatens abortion to their hopes, & they believe that any portion of power confided to me, will be exerted in opposition to their schemes."
- 8 Arrest of development of any organ, so that it remains an imperfect formation or is absorbed. countable, uncountable
- 9 The cessation of an illness or disease at a very early stage. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"The independent candidate took the abortion issue off his platform."
Etymology
From Latin abortiōnem (“miscarriage, abortion”), from aborior (“to miscarry”). Equivalent to abort + -ion. Displaced native Old English ǣwyrp (literally “throwing out, rejection”).
Related phrases
More for "abortion"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.