1
as in indulges
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 leaves
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 cancels
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 discontinues
to stop doing (something) permanently
marriage customs that were abandoned decades ago
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abandons
Sometimes the game simply abandons you.
—
Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026
Currently, Colorado supports the youngest and the oldest students enrolled in private schools through tuition vouchers or indirectly through tax incentives, but abandons them in the intervening and arguably most important years of schooling.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 3 Mar. 2026
Anyone who takes or abandons a shopping cart can be convicted of a petty misdemeanor.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 22 Feb. 2026
As for that Lucy and Stephen ending, Oppenheimer previously explained in her deep dive with THR on the finale that the moment when Stephen abandons Lucy at the gas station is ultimately what frees her from their relationship, and Van Patten agrees.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 17 Feb. 2026
O’Hara found her highest-profile role in Home Alone (1990), as a harried suburban mom who accidentally abandons her 8-year-old son.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 10 Feb. 2026
The second abandons the intellectual framework that apparently motivated Warsh’s interest in the position.
—Daniel J. Arbess, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
The Hoenikker character, who abandons his car in a traffic jam one day and walks the rest of the way to work, and well, here's a snippet from the audio version of Cat's Cradle, told from the point of view of one of Hoenikker’s/Langmuir’s children.
—Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 5 Feb. 2026
Here, Segall abandons all instruments to concentrate on vocals, leaving his session players to gel into a real band.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 30 Jan. 2026
Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026
Currently, Colorado supports the youngest and the oldest students enrolled in private schools through tuition vouchers or indirectly through tax incentives, but abandons them in the intervening and arguably most important years of schooling.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 3 Mar. 2026
Anyone who takes or abandons a shopping cart can be convicted of a petty misdemeanor.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 22 Feb. 2026
As for that Lucy and Stephen ending, Oppenheimer previously explained in her deep dive with THR on the finale that the moment when Stephen abandons Lucy at the gas station is ultimately what frees her from their relationship, and Van Patten agrees.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 17 Feb. 2026
O’Hara found her highest-profile role in Home Alone (1990), as a harried suburban mom who accidentally abandons her 8-year-old son.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 10 Feb. 2026
The second abandons the intellectual framework that apparently motivated Warsh’s interest in the position.
—Daniel J. Arbess, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
The Hoenikker character, who abandons his car in a traffic jam one day and walks the rest of the way to work, and well, here's a snippet from the audio version of Cat's Cradle, told from the point of view of one of Hoenikker’s/Langmuir’s children.
—Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 5 Feb. 2026
Here, Segall abandons all instruments to concentrate on vocals, leaving his session players to gel into a real band.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abandons
Verb
-
Chris is a freelance journalist who, when not writing, skywatching or playing games, indulges his taste for horror, sci-fi and the post-apocalyptic.—
Chris McMullen,
Space.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Elsewhere, Fennell indulges a familiar impulse to shock, or at least to jolt us awake.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Still, the privacy inherent in private credit often leaves an information vacuum that observers fill with worst-case scenarios.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Tender’s assets Tender CEO Whitney Halberstram (Max Minghella) engineers the downfall of co-founder Jonah Atterbury (Kal Penn) and eventually leaves Henry holding the bag for the company’s fraud.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
If a friend cancels or a team changes venues, respond with alternate options rather than vague guilt.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Advertisement When Eun-jae disappears before the transplant, Seong-sin sends his men to kill her, but cancels the order at the last second.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The sessions will take place as the IDFA Forum discontinues the conventional post-pitch feedback format.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Nissan discontinues Ariya electric SUV after 3 years.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But Trump on Friday said that the United States wouldn’t end the war until Iran surrenders unconditionally.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Andrew surrenders his Duke of York title.—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The difference is the wisdom to recognize that giving away public-trust land and diminishing our quality of life forsakes the permanent greater good for the temporary benefit of a few developers and residents.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Department of Investigation in an April 2024 report found fault with how the NYPD, the Department of Transportation and Department of Education issues and revokes parking permits.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Among other things, the legislation adds work requirements for able-bodied adults starting in January 2027, revokes Medicaid access to some immigrants, including refugees and people seeking asylum, and checks whether someone is eligible for the program every six months instead of every year.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Governing body head quits Yet this year’s festival comes at a time of crisis in British racing.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Instead, Carolyn quits her job.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abandons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abandons. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
