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
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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
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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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abandon
Chandler Rome, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
In 1991, a provision in the federal budget required the federal government to largely abandon paper checks by January 1, 1999.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Geoff Dyer, Harper's Magazine, 2 Sep. 2024
That sense of giddy creative abandon was palpable throughout.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 16 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for abandon
Verb
Change can cause trepidation, fear that abandoning what worked so well will author a sudden decline.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
In 1991, a provision in the federal budget required the federal government to largely abandon paper checks by January 1, 1999.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Noun
The unrestrained energy and overloaded abandon of Wolfe’s prose is inconceivable without the immediate precedent of Kerouac.
—Geoff Dyer, Harper's Magazine, 2 Sep. 2024
That sense of giddy creative abandon was palpable throughout.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 16 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for abandon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abandon
Verb
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Pileggi can’t write outside of his own sandbox, which means that DeNiro indulges the usual nefariousness.—
Armond White,
National Review,
21 Mar. 2025
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Go the practical route and indulge her with a new pan from one of our favorite brands.—
Brie Schwartz,
Glamour,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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For that reason, Santoro left Rivolta Femminile and in 1976 founded the Cooperativa Beato Angelico, the first women’s art space in Rome, together with ten other Italian women.—
Paola Ugolini,
Artforum,
1 Apr. 2025
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The sighting left the researchers with more questions than answers… but that’s the beauty of studying the ocean.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Universal was fined $1.3 million by state regulators in 2013 for canceling customers’ policies without justification and shifting profits to affiliate companies.—
Lawrence Mower,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2025
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About 1,200 jobs are expected to be cut at NIH as part of the layoffs at the Health and Human Services Department, and the administration also has canceled hundreds of NIH grants to scientists around the country.—
Sara Moniuszko,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Japanese love their fax machines so much that when plans were announced to discontinue them in government departments four years ago, they were scuttled due to widespread complaints.—
Tamsin Gable,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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Amazon discontinued 2016's Kindle Oasis in early 2024, and since then, the company hasn't offered a new e-reader with physical page turn buttons or any other alternative to touchscreen input.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Volunteers advocate for children who have been removed from their home from either abuse, abandonment or neglect.—
Joe Rassel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2025
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Over the past week, the attorneys laid out their case that childhood abuse by his father and an uncle left Ramos battered and traumatized, while his mother’s departure for Singapore to find work resulted in powerful feelings of abandonment.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacramento Bee,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Read Next South Carolina Blind dog surrendered when owner couldn’t care for her.—
Daniella Segura,
Sacbee.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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The score remained 4-2 until Yankees reliever Tim Hill surrendered an RBI single to Perdomo in the eighth inning before giving way to Leiter.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The series, working with plenty of time never forsakes a standard television clip.—
Anthony Paletta,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2025
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Yet, despite the mountain of evidence to the contrary, Frisby argues that the competitive market should be forsaken, and utilities should be allowed back into the generation game.—
Mary Beth Tung,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The bill passed in the Senate last session and was included in an original continuing resolution in the House but was scrapped during negotiations.—
Miranda Nazzaro,
The Hill,
2 Apr. 2025
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January/February’s installment was also scrapped for financial reasons (though the Los Angeles wildfires would have canceled the tour anyway).—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abandon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abandon. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.
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