abort

verb

\ ə-ˈbȯrt

aborted; aborting; aborts

Definition of abort

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to bring forth stillborn, nonviable, or premature offspring

2 : to become checked in development so as to degenerate or remain rudimentary

3 : to terminate a procedure prematurely the pilot decided to abort due to mechanical difficulties

transitive verb

1a : to induce the abortion of or give birth to prematurely

b : to terminate the pregnancy of before term

2a : to terminate prematurely : cancel abort a project abort a spaceflight

b : to stop in the early stages abort a disease

abort

noun

Definition of abort (Entry 2 of 2)

: the premature termination of a flight (as of an aircraft or spacecraft), a mission, or an action or procedure relating to a flight a launch abort

Other Words from abort Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about abort

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Synonyms & Antonyms for abort

Synonyms: Verb

abandon, call, call off, cancel, cry off, drop, recall, repeal, rescind, revoke, scrap, scrub

Antonyms: Verb

continue, keep

Examples of abort in a Sentence

Verb

They decided to abort the pregnancy. abort the launch of a rocket I suggest that you abort the project. The mission had to be aborted. When problems occurred during the launch, it was necessary to abort.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

This could let investors and companies determine the size and timing of initial public offerings, a key reform aborted post-2015. — Shen Hong, WSJ, "China Counters Selloff by Cutting Markets Some Slack," 24 Jan. 2019 And up next, a ‘ Washington Post’ columnist, check this out, advocates aborting children with Down syndrome, and the Vatican is misrepresenting a letter from Pope Benedict to the media. — Fox News, "GOP chair says they will sue Chicago public schools for supporting political student walkout," 15 Mar. 2018 Chang wants to abort the experiment—now—midway through a lap of the restaurant. — Alex Bhattacharji, WSJ, "David Chang’s Culinary Universe Is Still Growing," 2 Nov. 2018 The rocket was originally slated to launch Thursday and was rescheduled to Friday, but SpaceX aborted the launch again to run additional tests on the rocket’s second stage, according to a tweet. — Chip Skambis, ajc, "SpaceX plans to launch Falcon 9 rocket early Monday," 2 June 2018 The pilots aborted the landing and diverted to Shenzhen. — Trefor Moss, WSJ, "Engine Trouble: Chinese Airline Mishaps Put Spotlight on Pilots," 24 Nov. 2018 Carter, 93, said 160 million girls and women are not alive today because their parents killed their daughters at birth or aborted them as fetuses because of laws and customs that favor sons. — Kate Sullivan, CNN, "Jimmy Carter says discrimination against women and girls is the world's biggest problem," 19 May 2018 Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Republican of Washington, who gave birth to three children while in Congress, cited her son’s Down syndrome to object to those who would abort fetuses with the condition. — Susan Chira, New York Times, "Mom Is Running for Office," 14 Apr. 2018 In the report, Harvey said rumors that Conrad prematurely aborted the 2013 investigation, or that Fischer interfered with the 2016 probe, were false. — Andrew Wolfson, The Courier-Journal, "Report: Louisville police erred in Explorer sex abuse scandal case," 27 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

This booster struck the core when it was supposed to fall away during launch, triggering a launch abort. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "NASA chief says agency plans to launch crew on Soyuz in December," 23 Oct. 2018 Boeing was conducting a test fire of the Starliner’s launch abort engines. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "Boeing delays first crucial test flights of its new passenger spacecraft again," 1 Aug. 2018 Immediately, the Soyuz capsule initiated its abort sequence, separated from the rest of the rocket, and performed a ballistic reentry — when a vehicle comes in much steeper than a normal descent. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "Today’s failed Soyuz launch complicates the future of the International Space Station," 11 Oct. 2018 To ensure the abort test's accuracy, the simplified module must have the same shape and approximate mass distribution of the real Orion. — Alex Stuckey, Houston Chronicle, "NASA's Johnson Space Center preps Orion module for test of emergency systems," 25 Apr. 2018 The failure immediately prompted the vehicle’s emergency abort system, causing the capsule carrying the crew to separate from the rocket. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "Three astronauts will launch to space on Monday — two months after botched flight," 2 Dec. 2018 Both companies have yet to meet critical milestones, including abort tests and uncrewed test flights, before the first crews fly on SpaceX's Dragon and Boeing's Starliner vehicles. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "NASA concerned about culture of “inappropriateness” at SpaceX," 20 Nov. 2018 Earlier this year, Boeing had a propellant leak during a test of its emergency abort system. — Christian Davenport, The Seattle Times, "NASA to launch safety review of SpaceX and Boeing," 20 Nov. 2018 Blue Origin is performing a high-altitude abort test today and streaming it live at 11 AM ET. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "Watch Blue Origin's Escape Test That Will 'Push the Rocket To Its Limits,' Live," 18 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abort.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for abort

Verb

in part borrowed from Latin abortus, past participle of aborīrī "to pass away, be lost, (of a fetus) miscarry, be aborted, (of a woman) miscarry," from ab- ab- + orīrī "to rise, come into existence, be born"; in part borrowed from Late Latin abortīre and abortīrī "(of a woman) to miscarry," derivatives of Latin aborīrī — more at orient entry 1

Noun

noun derivative of abort entry 1

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