1
as in to indulge
to give (oneself) over to something especially unrestrainedly
more than ready to abandon himself to a life of complete idleness for the duration of his vacation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to leave
to cause to remain behind
abandoned the group that he had been hiking with and struck out on his own
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to cancel
to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to)
the bad weather forced NASA to abandon the launch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to discontinue
to stop doing (something) permanently
marriage customs that were abandoned decades ago
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in abandonment
carefree freedom from constraint
added spices to the stew with complete abandon
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abandon
Thomas Wenski, Sun Sentinel, 13 July 2025
And who can forget the saga, just two decades ago, of Suzette Kelo and all her New London, Connecticut, neighbors whose homes were destroyed to make way for a Pfizer pharmaceutical project—a project that was abandoned after Pfizer left town a few years later?
—James Burling, Oc Register, 13 July 2025
Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 23 May 2025
On the surface, the artist’s swirls, curls and modular shapes hit the eye with playful abandon.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for abandon
Verb
In recent decades, capital punishment has been abandoned or outlawed in most modern nations, the exceptions being countries like Cuba, China, North Korean, Iran — and the United States of America.
—Thomas Wenski, Sun Sentinel, 13 July 2025
And who can forget the saga, just two decades ago, of Suzette Kelo and all her New London, Connecticut, neighbors whose homes were destroyed to make way for a Pfizer pharmaceutical project—a project that was abandoned after Pfizer left town a few years later?
—James Burling, Oc Register, 13 July 2025
Noun
So Jan duly uses it, replicating himself with carefree abandon.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 23 May 2025
On the surface, the artist’s swirls, curls and modular shapes hit the eye with playful abandon.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for abandon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abandon
Verb
-
Take just five minutes out of the day to indulge yourself in a self-care exercise.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
-
One of the rare recent TV exercises not to indulge conspiracy-theory tropes but deconstruct and criticize them was Netflix’s winter limited series Zero Day, in which the British actor Dan Stevens played a villainous YouTuber peddling such theories.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
19 July 2025
Verb
-
While Drake has continued with subtle jabs in his music, Pusha appears content with leaving their rivalry in the past.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
15 July 2025
-
Social media videos showed dramatic scenes of floodwater pouring into Manhattan subway stations and buses left stranded by rising water in towns such as Scotch Plains, New Jersey.—
Barney Henderson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 July 2025
Verb
-
Years later, her character was set to lead a separate reboot for Peacock, but the project was canceled in 2021.—
Danny Horn,
EW.com,
19 July 2025
-
Was the show canceled because late night TV is a relic of the past?—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
19 July 2025
Verb
-
Unless forced by budgetary exigencies, colleges never discontinue programs in order to redirect teaching resources to more productive uses.—
Ryan Craig,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
-
This version of the event was discontinued due to a lack of media coverage and funding issues.—
Jessica Hopkins,
New York Times,
25 July 2025
Noun
-
Volunteers advocate for children who have been removed from their home from either abuse, abandonment or neglect.—
Joe Rassel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 July 2025
-
But the Puerto Rican legend’s abandonment of her machine-gun reputation proved fatal in the final rounds.—
Mark Puleo,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
Verb
-
Faced with no other option, the heartbroken family surrendered Draco to the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC), despite having loved and raised him for over five years.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
20 July 2025
-
Warren then surrendered Ozzie Albies’ second three-run homer in as many days in the fourth.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
20 July 2025
Verb
-
So singing the song to the people of London and forsaking the people who can afford a $300 theater ticket is kind of on-theme.—
Elainie Barraza,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 June 2025
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In one of the picture’s most moving scenes, this Superman uses his X-ray vision to gaze through the walls of the house Kate Bosworth’s Lois Lane, having forsaken him, now shares with her young son and her fiancé (James Marsden).—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
11 July 2025
Verb
-
Now the Trump administration has scrapped that process, and appointees enjoy full control over what scientific integrity means and how agencies review and synthesize scientific literature necessary to support and shape policy decisions.—
David Michaels,
The Atlantic,
20 July 2025
-
A couple of days ago, SPORT then reported that the club was ‘close’ to scrapping the plan and explained that a decision would be made on Friday, which has proven to be accurate.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
18 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abandon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abandon. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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