abandon

1 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 deliver, give up, indulge, surrender, yield Related Words overdo, overindulge; bask, luxuriate, revel, roll, wallow Near Antonyms abstain (from), eschew, forbear, forgo (also forego), refrain (from); check, inhibit, restrain Antonyms deny

2 to cause to remain behind abandoned the group that he had been hiking with and struck out on his own Synonyms leave, desert, forsake, maroon, quit, strandRelated Words discard, ditch, dump, fling, jettison, junk, scrap, shed, shuck (off), throw away, throw out; deliver, give up, hand over, relinquish, surrender, yield; escape, retreat (from), take off (from), vacate, withdraw (from); abjure, cut off, disown, reject, renounce, repudiate, separate (from); sacrifice; distance; disregard, forget, ignore, neglectNear Antonyms harbor, have, hold, keep, own, possess, reserve, retain, withhold; redeem, rescue, saveAntonyms reclaim

3 to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to) the bad weather forced NASA to abandon the launch Synonyms cancel, abort, call, call off, cry off, drop, recall, repeal, rescind, revoke, scrap, scrubRelated Words abrogate, annul, invalidate, nullify, void, write off; recant, retract, take back, withdraw; countermand, reverse, roll back; break off, discontinue, end, halt, stop, terminate; hold back, interrupt, suspend; give up, relinquish, surrenderNear Antonyms engage, pledge, promise; begin, commence, initiate, start; take on, take up, undertakeAntonyms continue, keep

4 to stop doing (something) permanently marriage customs that were abandoned decades ago Synonyms quit, discontinue, drop, give up, knock off, lay off (of), pack (up or in)Related Words break off, break up, cease, close, conclude, end, expire, finish, halt, leave off, shut off; pause, taper off; throw up; round (off or out), terminate, wind up, wrap upNear Antonyms go, run on; hang in, hang on, hold on, persevere, persist; follow through (with); renew, reopen, restart, resume; preserve, stay; begin, commence, startAntonyms carry on, continue, keep, keep up, maintain