1
as in indulging
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 leaving
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 canceling
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 discontinuing
to stop doing (something) permanently
marriage customs that were abandoned decades ago
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abandoning
These networks are viewed with less enthusiasm in the age of streaming, because more consumers are abandoning their cable subscriptions in favor of streaming services.
—
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 June 2026
Blanche said later at the hearing that the DOJ wasn't abandoning the tax portion of the settlement.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 2 June 2026
At one point, Liman suggested Lively could effectively end the dispute by abandoning her request for relief under the statute.
—Elizabeth Rosner, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026
More importantly, abandoning a franchise because one player welcomed a president on stage seems like an awfully thin reason to walk away.
—Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
Faced with the potential loss of more than $2 billion in long-term economic benefits, in an era of sweeping property tax reform and major financial uncertainty, abandoning that revenue would have been an act of municipal malpractice.
—Keith Poliakoff, Sun Sentinel, 1 June 2026
The Golden Knights have Mitch Marner, who makes Leafs fans sad about a franchise icon abandoning them in free agency.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Researchers are stripping grant applications of words that might attract federal scrutiny, or abandoning the topics entirely.
—Bruce Schneier, The Conversation, 27 May 2026
For example, behavioral analytics may show that customers are abandoning a travel booking flow at unusually high rates.
—Gary Drenik, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 June 2026
Blanche said later at the hearing that the DOJ wasn't abandoning the tax portion of the settlement.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 2 June 2026
At one point, Liman suggested Lively could effectively end the dispute by abandoning her request for relief under the statute.
—Elizabeth Rosner, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026
More importantly, abandoning a franchise because one player welcomed a president on stage seems like an awfully thin reason to walk away.
—Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
Faced with the potential loss of more than $2 billion in long-term economic benefits, in an era of sweeping property tax reform and major financial uncertainty, abandoning that revenue would have been an act of municipal malpractice.
—Keith Poliakoff, Sun Sentinel, 1 June 2026
The Golden Knights have Mitch Marner, who makes Leafs fans sad about a franchise icon abandoning them in free agency.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Researchers are stripping grant applications of words that might attract federal scrutiny, or abandoning the topics entirely.
—Bruce Schneier, The Conversation, 27 May 2026
For example, behavioral analytics may show that customers are abandoning a travel booking flow at unusually high rates.
—Gary Drenik, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abandoning
Verb
-
Thank you for indulging me on that.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
26 May 2026
-
The decor offers a colorful contrast to the austere exterior, allowing the house to honor the neighborhood while indulging the whims of its occupants.—
Fred Albert,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
Verb
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My father was running the skid steer outside, clearing the snow, leaving dirty white mounds to either side of the driveway that led from the house out to the range road.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
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Consequently, rising inflation has steadily eroded real purchasing power, leaving 59 percent of Americans without sufficient savings to absorb a minor financial shock, such as a $1,000 emergency.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
2 June 2026
Verb
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The reason the Home Office cited for cancelling their electronic travel authorizations, or ETAs?—
Jada Yuan,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
-
Jamaica, Guyana, Guatemala and even Venezuela – which has seen by far the largest deployment of Cuban doctors in the past 20 years – have also severed or are in the process of cancelling their contracts with the Cuban medical missions.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Unfortunately, last year, California decided to reverse decades of obesity treatment coverage by discontinuing Medi-Cal coverage of GLP-1s when used solely for weight management.—
Latisa S Carson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 May 2026
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Charlotte previously operated a red-light camera program before discontinuing it in 2006.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
11 May 2026
Verb
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After Saturday night’s 4-3 loss to the Phillies – a defeat that happened in large part because reliever Tanner Scott reverted to some old, bad habits in surrendering a 3-1 lead in the eighth – Yamamoto understood Sunday’s assignment.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
1 June 2026
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Your choice Remember, there’s a big difference between offering someone a small gift and surrendering to the other person’s demand.—
Attia Qureshi,
Time,
1 June 2026
Verb
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If bigger and better opportunities come along, striking while the iron is hot is a logical course of action, even when moves sometimes appear to make more sense for financial reasons than footballing ones and forsaking the comfort of operating in a stable environment.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
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But that doesn’t mean forsaking the forecast and the threat of more dipping temperatures to come.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And let just say as a Southern, Democratic governor, to be able to give voice to Southern Democrats being left out, left behind, sometimes looked down on, but scrapping our way back to a seat at the table.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
31 May 2026
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Russell got a better getaway when the lights went out, but Antonelli, who has really struggled with starts, hung with him, and within a couple of laps, the two were scrapping away.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 May 2026
Verb
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Nicotine is among the most addictive substances known, altering the brain’s reward pathways and making quitting notoriously difficult.—
Kimberly McCreight,
Time,
3 June 2026
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Pollard, who’d been a first-round pick out of the University of Kansas in the 1998 NBA Draft, thought of quitting.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abandoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abandoning. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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