abandon
verb /əˈbændən/
/əˈbændən/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they abandon | /əˈbændən/ /əˈbændən/ |
| he / she / it abandons | /əˈbændənz/ /əˈbændənz/ |
| past simple abandoned | /əˈbændənd/ /əˈbændənd/ |
| past participle abandoned | /əˈbændənd/ /əˈbændənd/ |
| -ing form abandoning | /əˈbændənɪŋ/ /əˈbændənɪŋ/ |
- to leave somebody, especially somebody you are responsible for, with no intention of returning
- abandon somebody The baby had been abandoned by its mother.
- People often simply abandon their pets when they go abroad.
- abandon somebody to something ‘We have been abandoned to our fate,’ said one resident.
- The study showed a deep fear among the elderly of being abandoned to the care of strangers.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- hastily
- abandon somebody to their fate
- be left abandoned
- be found abandoned
- …
- to leave a thing or place, especially because it is impossible or dangerous to stay synonym leave
- abandon something Snow forced many drivers to abandon their vehicles.
- He gave the order to abandon ship (= to leave the ship because it was sinking).
- abandon something to somebody/something They had to abandon their lands to the invading forces.
Extra ExamplesTopics Difficulty and failureb2- Much of the land has now been abandoned in favour of more fertile areas to the south.
- The town had been hastily abandoned.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- hastily
- abandon somebody to their fate
- be left abandoned
- be found abandoned
- …
- abandon something to stop doing something, especially before it is finished; to stop having something
- They abandoned the match because of rain.
- The plans for reform were quietly abandoned.
- She abandoned hope of any reconciliation.
- We had to abandon any further attempt at negotiation.
Extra Examples- She abandoned her teaching career in favour of sport.
- The government does not propose to abandon the project altogether.
- Traditional policies were simply abandoned.
- They were forced to abandon the game because of rain.
- Work on the new building was finally abandoned.
- He abandoned the army for politics.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- altogether
- completely
- entirely
- …
- be forced to
- have to
- decide to
- …
- for
- in favour/favor of
- to stop supporting or helping somebody; to stop believing in something
- abandon somebody The country abandoned its political leaders after the war.
- abandon something By 1930 he had abandoned his Marxist principles.
- This principle has now been effectively abandoned.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- altogether
- completely
- entirely
- …
- be forced to
- have to
- decide to
- …
- for
- in favour/favor of
- abandon yourself to something (literary) to feel an emotion so strongly that you can feel nothing else
- He abandoned himself to despair.
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French abandoner, from a- (from Latin ad ‘to, at’) + bandon ‘control’ (related to ban). The original sense was ‘bring under control’, later ‘give in to the control of, surrender to’ (sense (5)).