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
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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
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4
as in discontinues
to stop doing (something) permanently
marriage customs that were abandoned decades ago
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abandons
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
What else is going on A Maserati driver kills a man and a dog crossing a Sherman Oaks street, flees the scene and then abandons the car.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
After inadvertently destroying his best friend’s life, Narutaki Ryu abandons everything and leaves Japan, where he’s saved by Korean boxer Johan Hwang.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
Though Miguel is shot in the leg during the surprise attack, Tommy and his men come out on top, and Jenard's team abandons him to work for Chicago's new kingpin.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026
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
What else is going on A Maserati driver kills a man and a dog crossing a Sherman Oaks street, flees the scene and then abandons the car.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
After inadvertently destroying his best friend’s life, Narutaki Ryu abandons everything and leaves Japan, where he’s saved by Korean boxer Johan Hwang.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
Though Miguel is shot in the leg during the surprise attack, Tommy and his men come out on top, and Jenard's team abandons him to work for Chicago's new kingpin.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abandons
Verb
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Elsewhere, Fennell indulges a familiar impulse to shock, or at least to jolt us awake.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Raimi indulges Send Help’s gore and gross-out moments with the zest of someone returning to his cult-favorite roots.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The illuminating skin tint instantly blurs and brightens my complexion and leaves behind a soft-focus glow—almost as if my skin were an IRL filter.—
Alyssa Morin,
InStyle,
20 Feb. 2026
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Continue reading … 'TOTAL CHAOS' — Anderson Cooper's '60 Minutes' exit reportedly leaves CBS News bosses blindsided.—
,
FOXNews.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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Continue reading … PULLING THE PLUG – Amazon cancels 'Melania' movie screening at cinema after sign backfires.—
,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The sessions will take place as the IDFA Forum discontinues the conventional post-pitch feedback format.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
8 Oct. 2025
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Nissan discontinues Ariya electric SUV after 3 years.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Andrew surrenders his Duke of York title.—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
19 Feb. 2026
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Peter then surrenders to Catherine, who demands his explanation for going AWOL.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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Trump revokes Canada’s spot on ‘Board of Peace’ 2.—
,
FOXNews.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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After seven months of dating, Estes and Cavallari decided to call it quits.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
12 Feb. 2026
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The singer refused to flat-out say the Eagles are calling it quits.—
Thor Christensen,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abandons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abandons. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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